The Secret of NIMH
-Don Bluth

I remember always seeing the cover of The Secret of NIMH as a child, but never actually taking the time to watch the movie itself. I also remember being restricted from seeing it when I was really little as a lot of the adults in the neighborhood seemed to consider this more of a "cartoon made for grown ups".

Upon finally watching it from beginning to end for the first time, I can kind of understand why they took this stance. The subject matter is a little beyond the cognitive peripheral of toddlers who are used to Lady and The Tramp and Oliver and Company, but, in hindsight, the dark territory of NIMH is no more deep in its noir factor than Bambi, Pinnochio, or Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, nor are its battle scenes any less violent than The Great Mouse Detective or A Land Before Time.

Nevertheless, this is not a Disney feature. The point being, in comparison to what we were already watching at the time, I don't find The Secret of NIMH necessitates being restricted to the regulatory compartment of a "cartoon for adults".

Despite these confused recollections of my upbringing, I am very glad that Don Bluth took a stand against the constrictive barriers of Disney corporate panelists and ventured out on his own to create this wonderful story that he knew to hold immense value, and was near and dear to his heart.

My heart pleaded for Mrs. Brisby and her plight from the moment she makes her appearance on the tractor to seek Mr. Ages assistance in helping her son recover from pneumonia. The crunch of looming threats around every bend was real and reminded me a lot of the suffocating elements that exist within modern day ghettos. If it wasn't Dragon, the cat which could end their lives, it was harvest season. One interchangeable hardship replaces another, oftentimes combining to reinforce the strife of the mouses lowly existence.

I was rather surprised at finding out what NIMH actually stood for and enjoyed the backbone of the story as the unknown precursor to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

*I'm not sure if the comics came first, or Robert C. O'Brien's novel. Nor do I believe there to be a case of plagiarism here either. But the similarities are difficult to dismiss.*

I also couldn't help but notice the biblical allegories present as Mrs. Brisby travels to the metaphorical Mount Zion birdcage to learn of the impending fate of the hyper-intelligent rats rosebush home, and the attempted mutinies by Jenner (as Dathan) to ignite a sedition against The Exodus to Thorn Valley (promised land). Perhaps these are just my highly attuned biblical goggles correlating elements that aren't there. But, again, it is pretty tough to dismiss.

What I expected was an underground odyssey through field tunnels filled with mystical elements that were bereft of any human elements. In some aspects I was correct, but largely I was not. This was the first cartoon feature film I had watched in a long time and once it was finished I was largely satisfied. The only knock I could come up with is that I thought Dom Deluis's character was a bit annoying at times and the comedic element felt out of place. I would've rather Bluth kept the entire film on a more serious note from start to finish. But this is just petty nitpicking. Jeremy is tolerable and in no way takes away from the overall greatness of the picture as a whole.

*On a side note, I was a bit curious to find out what ever became of Elizabeth Hartman, the woman behind the voice of Mrs. Brisby, and was very disheartened to learn of her demise to mental health issues. It's sad how some pictures seem to have an underlying note of sadness attached to it due to extra-curricular tragedies that happened to prominent characters. i.e The Land Before Time, Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret of NIMH.*

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

Cousins: The Land Before Time, The Great Mouse Detective, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, The Ten Commandments