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Title: The Secret of NIMH (1982)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Derek Jacobi | ... |
Nicodemus
(voice)
|
|
| Elizabeth Hartman | ... |
Mrs. Brisby
(voice)
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| Arthur Malet | ... |
Mr. Ages
(voice)
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| Dom DeLuise | ... |
Jeremy
(voice)
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| Hermione Baddeley | ... |
Auntie Shrew
(voice)
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| Shannen Doherty | ... |
Teresa
(voice)
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| Wil Wheaton | ... |
Martin
(voice)
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|
 |
Jodi Hicks | ... |
Cynthia
(voice)
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Ian Fried | ... |
Timothy
(voice)
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| John Carradine | ... |
Great Owl
(voice)
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| Peter Strauss | ... |
Justin
(voice)
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| Paul Shenar | ... |
Jenner
(voice)
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| Tom Hatten | ... |
Farmer Fitzgibbons
(voice)
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| Lucille Bliss | ... |
Mrs. Fitzgibbons
(voice)
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| Aldo Ray | ... |
Sullivan
(voice)
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Mrs. Brisby, a widowed mouse, lives in a cinder block with her children on the Fitzgibbon farm. She is preparing to move her family out of the field they live in as plowing time approaches, however her son Timothy has fallen ill, and moving him could prove fatal. Mrs. Brisby visits The Great Owl, a wise creature who advises her to visit a mysterious group of rats who live beneath a rose bush on the farm. Upon visiting the rats, Brisby meets Nicodemus, the wise and mystical leader of the rats, and Justin, a friendly rat who immediately becomes attached to Mrs. Brisby. While there, she learns that her late husband, Mr. Jonathon Brisby, along with the rats, was a part of a series of experiments at a place known only as N.I.M.H. (revealed earlier in the story as the National Institute of Mental Health). The experiments performed on the mice and rats there boosted their intelligence, allowing them to read without being taught and to understand things such as complex mechanics and ... Written by MIss Victoria
Taglines:
Animation in the grand tradition by a new master, Don Bluth. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 July 1982 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Mrs. Brisby and the Rats of NIMH See more »Box Office
Budget:
$7,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Nicodemus: Johnathan Brisby was killed today while helping with the plan. It is four years since our departure from NIMH, and our world is changing. We cannot stay here much longer. Johnathan was a dear friend. I am lost in knowing how to help his widow. She knows nothing about us or the plan. Perhaps best that I do nothing at present. I shall miss him. Johnathan - wherever you are - your thoughts must comfort her tonight. She will be waiting and you will not return. Farewell... my friend.
See more »
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyrics Written and Performed by Paul Williams
Arranged by Ian Fraser
Lullaby Performed by Sally Stevens
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The staging of the climactic sword fight between Justin and Jenner was largely taken from the Errol Flynn / Basil Rathbone duel in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (some choreography, including the villain getting stabbed in the stomach, was literally copied by the animators). Other moments were inspired by fight scenes in The Vikings (1958). See more »Goofs
When Mrs. Brisby is putting the drug in Dragon's bowl, she is wearing the cape and necklace in one scene, and it is off in the next. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Nicodemus: Johnathan Brisby was killed today while helping with the plan. It is four years since our departure from NIMH, and our world is changing. We cannot stay here much longer. Johnathan was a dear friend. I am lost in knowing how to help his widow. She knows nothing about us or the plan. Perhaps best that I do nothing at present. I shall miss him. Johnathan - wherever you are - your thoughts must comfort her tonight. She will be waiting and you will not return. Farewell... my friend.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The production storyboards are used for background in the end credits. See more »Soundtracks
Flying DreamsComposed by Jerry Goldsmith
Lyrics Written and Performed by Paul Williams
Arranged by Ian Fraser
Lullaby Performed by Sally Stevens
See more »
The Secret of NIMH after twenty three years is still an absolutely fantastic film. I hold it in such high regard as the even more obscure Gay Pur-ee (with the voice talent of Judy Garland, also wonderful) and Disney's Robin Hood.
Criticisms can be made of the film. For one, "faithful" isn't exactly an adjective that can be used when describing it's relation to the source material: "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert O'Brien. However, the novel was a Newberry Award winner and it deserved an excellent film which is what it received.
The book itself had two separate story lines, one focusing on Mrs. Frisby and her plight, and the other a lengthy backstory involving the rats of NIMH. For the animated feature, Don Bluth and his team chose to focus on Mrs. Frisby's plight and for this I am grateful.
In Mrs. Brisby we have a totally unique and a truly delightful heroine. She isn't some young boy getting ready to go on a fantastic adventure or some sort of great, brave hero. She's just a mother, a mother whose first concern is her family. And she makes a fantastic hero, showing that courage isn't just involved in facing down fierce monsters (though when she has to do that she finds the courage). She never stops pushing herself and though she might be a very small mouse, she has a very big heart.
As a kid I walked away thinking how cool Justin was, but now that I'm older I have complete respect for Mrs. Brisby. It's an excellent film both for children and adults alike.
And how about Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus? Dom deLuise as Jeremy? Not to mention Elizabeth Hartman, whose short career was never-the-less magnificent. Thank god for film that we might have her talents available to us for all time!