Customer Reviews
You've never seen anything like it - By: Akida93, 08 Dec 2007 
The Secret of NIMH is an animated rarity. The story is a serious one - nobody bursts into song & there are quite a few disturbing sequences. Don Bluth's masterpiece deserves to be up there with Bambi as one of the greatest animated films of our time. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you see it, especiallly if you love Don Bluth's other classics like The Land Before Time or An American Tail.
The story itself is simple - a mother mouse (Mrs Brisby) must move her family, but she desperately needs help because her son is seriously ill. She seeks the aid of a clan of super-intelligent rats, led by the wise Nicodemus. As Mrs Brisby uncovers a secret about her late husband's past, the power-hungry rat Jenner seeks out to ruin everything. Okay, maybe not so simple, but it's easy enough to follow.
The animation is in the style of old Disney films from the 40s but Don Bluth has his own style too. It's a simple mix of elegance & cuteness that makes the characters so warm & full of life. The backgrounds are soft but vivid & change colour to reflect the character's mood - much like in Bambi.
The music is very beautiful & atmospheric. As I said before, none of the characters erupt into song. We have one song - Flying Dreams. It's a very sweet song that is played in the background, much like 'Someone's Waiting for You' in The Rescuers (another great mouse movie!) Flying Dreams tenderly invites us into a gentle moment between Mrs Brisby & her children.
As great as it is, The Secret of NIMH does have a few flaws. Some ideas could've been developed more & some sequences, as enchanting as they are, could have easily been omitted. But the good far outweighs the bad, & beats the heck out of Don Bluth's later flicks.
I've seen some people simply bash this gem because it's not entirely loyal to the book. Get over it. It's callled creative license. Yes, the film does take some liberties, but it still stick quite close to the original plot line. I see films like Tarzan get gushed over with needless praise, despite the fact they don't even give a fig to their original source material.
This is one of the best animated films out there. It easily surpasses the likes of The Lion King or Finding Nemo. This is a film that truly reaches for the child-within. It's dark & scary, but some children might be able to handle it. However, if The Land Before Time III is your idea of a work of art, than skip this.
As for the deducted star, that was because of the DVD. There's few extras - the wonderful theatrical trailer, & 'interactive menus.' You know when THAT is put as a 'special feature,' then the company's trying to glamourise a poor release. Not to mention that the film is very grainy & the picture shudders at times. But don't let this awful release stop you from enjoying this classic, which is a five-star work of art.
One of the most original, beautiful and moving stories for children ever - By: Maciej K., 02 Jul 2007 
This little known movie is a rare treasure. Extremely original story, very touching main hero (mother trying to save her sick child), great visual aspect (the Great Owl is particularly impressive), this movie desserves to be on every DVD shelf in every place where there are children. And their parents.
i loved this movie - By: , 30 Aug 2004 i remeber loving this movie when i was young. I recommend this movie. 100%
A masterpiece that puts the best of Disney to shame - By: Kyle McWhirr, 10 Nov 2002 One of the promotional posters for The Secret of NIMH states that it is "Animation in the grand tradition". This a staement I disagree with strongly.
If the "grand tradition" is Disney then NIMH creates it's own style vastly superior to the tradition.
The film was from the outset intended to be as realistic as possable in an animated film & in this respect it is not wanting. The charecters are beautifully drawn, as are the backgrounds.
Strong praise must go to Elizebeth Heartman (Mrs Brisby) who poured her heart & sole into her charecter & created what I believe is the most adorable charecter ever.
The music by Jerry Goldsmith is astounding. It breaks the Disney tradition & remains entirly as background music (with the exception of Mrs Brisby's lulliby) which means there are no parts of the film in which the charecters break into mass, impossably choriographed song & dance.
The Secret of NIMH has touched people in a way that films are not usuallly capable. The blurb on the back of the video box suggests "share it with someone you love". A fittingly charming statement.
If you're a child at heart, you'll love it - By: , 28 Aug 2002 At 23 years of age I'm certainly not ashamed to admit that The Secret of NIMH is one of my favourite films. The story & characters are wonderful, Jeremy the crow is definitely the best animated character in existance. Every element of this film has been brought together into a fantastic masterpiece. It's one cartoon worth watching again & again.
