When we think of animated features during the 80s and 90s, it’s mostly Disney titles that spring to mind, but former long-time animator for the studio, Don Bluth, became a rival player with his breakout film, The Secret of NIMH – available now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
Inside a cinderblock she calls home, which rests half-sunken in farm soil, a widowed field mouse, Mrs. Brisby is desperate to save her ill son. She travels to seek help from a colony of rats who live beneath a rose bush, led by the mysterious and powerful, Nicodemus.
Unhappy with Disney’s departure from the traditional ‘ink and paint’ animation in favour of the more economical ‘Xerox’ method, Bluth wanted to bring back the old style. In doing so he created a beautifully detailed feature film with an age-old story in which love transcends courage and adversity. The Secret of NIMH is a sentimental classic that’s looked upon with great fondness. Having only just seen it for the first time, there is a heartwarming quality, which stirred up feelings of nostalgia for my first trips to the local cinema where I saw the sequel to An American Tail, Feivel Goes West. My first Western now that I think about it.
Mythology, magic, and an element of science fiction unlock the key to this enchanting world beneath the ground, but unfortunately,y the film’s runtime of 85 minutes does not allow enough time to expand on the lore that several of our characters reference, particularly the god-like figure of Nicodemus.
Voice acting is of an especially high standard with veterans like John Carradine and Arthur Malet adding a lot of gravitas to their respective characters, while Elizabeth Hartman brings a gentle materialness as our heroine, Mrs. Brisby, with young stars Shannen Doherty and Will Wheaton as her children Teresa and Martin. The main villain of the piece, Jenner, is voiced in a deliciously evil manner by Paul Shenar, who some will know from Scarface, whereas Peter Strauss has him matched as the good-natured hero, Justin.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- A new audio commentary with animation scholar Sam Summers, author of DreamWorks Animation: Intertextuality and Aesthetics in Shrek and Beyond
- An archival audio commentary with director Don Bluth and producer Gary Goldman
- A Way to go Home – A new on-camera interview with director and animator Don Bluth
- Beyond Your Wildest Dreams – A new on-camera appreciation of The Secret of NIMH with animation expert and fan Stacey Abbott
- Courage of the Heart – A new video essay by children’s media expert Catherine Lester on motherhood in The Secret of NIMH
- Secrets Behind the Secret – archival featurette
- Theatrical trailer
- Stills Gallery
Special-features-wise, Eureka ups the ante from The Secret of NIMH’s debut Blu-ray from 2011 with two new interviews and a video essay. Also exclusive to this release is a commentary from animation scholar Sam Summers which delivers an in-depth deep dive into the talents behind the film’s artwork. The author also explores subjects like how character design often parallels their written personality and narrative journey.
In his 25-minute interview, director Don Bluth explains his inspiration behind NIHM’s most iconic sequences, especially those that deviate from the novel. Primarily, the animator discusses how much he values family and motherhood through anecdotes about his own mother and grandmother. For further elaboration on the film’s themes of motherhood, and how unique they were to children’s animation at the time, be sure to watch Catherine Lester’s 16-minute video essay on the subject. While Stacy Abbott’s interview delves into the same talking points as Bluth’s, it’s refreshing to hear about them through the perspective of an enthusiastic fan. – by Hannah Lynch
VIDEO AND AUDIO
It’s not often I’m tasked with having to scrutinize an animated feature, but the studio-supplied master offers a beautifully sharp 1.85:1 image. Colours are vibrant and the noticeable amount of film grain results in a vintage look, which was nice to see as modern 2D animation doesn’t have a great deal of texture. A quality LPCM 2.0 track does justice to the magnificent voice acting that can be felt through the heavy levels of base, while volume overall is robust and balanced. English subtitles are included.
The Secret of NIMH is available online through Eureka Entertainment, priced at £14.99 and complete with alternate artwork.
THE SECRET OF NIMH
(1982, director: Don Bluth)
★★★★
direct blu-ray screen captures
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