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The Secret Of Nimh [1982]
The Secret Of Nimh [1982]

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Director: Don Bluth
Actors: Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, Dom Deluise, Arthur Malet, Hermione Baddeley
Studio: MGM Entertainment
Category: DVD

List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £4.48
You Save: £8.51 (66%)



New (16) from £1.99

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 8 reviews
Sales Rank: 3368

Format: Animated, Dubbed, Full Screen, Pal, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), German (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Running Time: 79 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5050070001785
ASIN: B000059L8I

Theatrical Release Date: July 2, 1982
Release Date: April 2, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours

Similar Items:

  • The Last Unicorn [1982]
  • An American Tail
  • Watership Down
  • The Secret Of Nimh 2 [1998]
  • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (Puffin Modern Classics)

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
In his book, Robert C. O'Brien called his brave widow mouse "Mrs. Frisby", but Disney escapee animator Don Bluth must have thought children would laugh the wrong way at that. They renamed her "Mrs. Brisby" for The Secret of NIMH. That acronym stands for the National Institute of Mental Health, and the rats that live near Mrs. Brisby came from NIMH--they have strange ways. But they're the only ones who can save her house and her children, so Brisby seeks them out with the help of a humorous crow (Dom DeLuise). The magic gets laid on a little thick but this is Don Bluth's most successful attempt to achieve a complete, sincere, animated film. It's often forgotten, but it's a true surprise and a rare treat in the vast wasteland of insubstantial children's fare. --Keith Simanton, Amazon.com


Customer Reviews:   Read 3 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars You've never seen anything like it   December 8, 2007
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The Secret of NIMH is an animated rarity. The story is a serious one - nobody bursts into song and 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, especially 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 and cuteness that makes the characters so warm and full of life. The backgrounds are soft but vivid and change colour to reflect the character's mood - much like in Bambi.

The music is very beautiful and 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 and her children.

As great as it is, The Secret of NIMH does have a few flaws. Some ideas could've been developed more and some sequences, as enchanting as they are, could have easily been omitted. But the good far outweighs the bad, and 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 called 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 and 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, and '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 and 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.



5 out of 5 stars One of the most original, beautiful and moving stories for children ever   July 2, 2007
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

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.


5 out of 5 stars i loved this movie   August 30, 2004
 4 out of 6 found this review helpful

i remeber loving this movie when i was young. I recommend this movie. 100%


5 out of 5 stars A masterpiece that puts the best of Disney to shame   November 10, 2002
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

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 and 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 and sole into her charecter and created what I believe is the most adorable charecter ever.
The music by Jerry Goldsmith is astounding. It breaks the Disney tradition and 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 and dance.
The Secret of NIMH has touched people in a way that films are not usually capable. The blurb on the back of the video box suggests "share it with someone you love". A fittingly charming statement.



5 out of 5 stars If you're a child at heart, you'll love it   August 28, 2002
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

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 and 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 and again.

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