The Secret of NIMH (1982)
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A widowed field mouse must forge an alliance with a colony of intelligent rats to save her family from an impending threat.
The story
Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse living on a farm, faces a crisis when her son falls ill just as plowing season begins. To move her family to safety, she seeks help from a mysterious community of intelligent rats who were granted human-like intelligence through experiments at the National Institute of Mental Health. As the threat of the farm's machinery looms, Brisby must navigate the complex politics of the rat colony and find a way to transport her family to a new home before they are caught or destroyed.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse, seeks to move her family from a farm before plowing begins. Her son, Timothy, is too ill to travel, so she seeks help from the Great Owl, who directs her to a colony of intelligent rats living under a rose bush. These rats, who gained intelligence through experiments at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), are led by the mystical Nicodemus. They agree to help her move her home but require her to drug the farm's cat, Dragon. While trapped in a cage, Brisby learns that NIMH plans to exterminate the rats. During a frantic move under a thunderstorm, a power-hungry rat named Jenner sabotages the operation, killing Nicodemus. Brisby's courage activates a magical amulet, allowing her to lift her home to safety. The rats, now led by Justin, depart for Thorn Valley, while her son begins to recover.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 83
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Don Bluth
- Writers
- Don Bluth · story; John Pomeroy · story; Gary Goldman · story; Will Finn · story
- Cast and characters
- Elizabeth Hartman · Mrs. Brisby; Peter Strauss · Justin; Dom DeLuise · Jeremy; John Carradine · Great Owl; Derek Jacobi · Nicodemus; Paul Shenar · Jenner; Arthur Malet · Mr. Ages; Hermione Baddeley · Auntie Shrew
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- courage; survival; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- serious; mystical
- Setting
- A farm and a nearby rose bush where a colony of rats lives.
- Premise and plot tags
- animal adventure; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
- Franchise connections
- The Secret of NIMH
- Reception
- The film was met with critical acclaim and is noted for its high-quality animation and mature story.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 70; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Animated Film of 1982 · 1982 · win; Award of Excellence · Film Advisory Board · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the sixth animated feature to be presented in the Dolby Stereo sound system.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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