Expected more

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This film is fantastic. This was a great start for Don Bluth´s movie career. This film had gorgeous visuals, great voice acting, a great story and is one of the darkest animated films i´ve ever seen (The only film that beats it is Coraline). Many of my favorite movies star british people and this is one of those films. I can't find anything negative to say about this movie. Anything negative stems from the fact it's an old movie meaning it would held back by the technology of the time. I would definitely recommend this movie. 9.6/10

I'm not going to bother with what CULT as an acronym means. As some background, this film was pitched shortly after Don Bluth left Disney in 1979 over production values in The Fox and The Hound. As a first film for an animation studio, the Disney-esque art style and story really blew me away when I saw it on TV. The animation has some Disney mojo mixed in with subtle originality, and quite a few times I went "Whoa" at how well done the effects were, such as colored light flashes. The characters, while being worth our eyes, are actually not highly memorable, and the cast to a modern person would seem incredibly obscure (despite how their performances are amazing). The story presents a lot of darkness and mystery, with anxiety or intrigue in an absolute majority of the frames. 15 years after having left our childhood memories with Tom and Jerry, Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer makes the wise decision to distribute this film (but oh God no they made a sequel), and not long after it lost popularity, CULT grew. See it should you consider it, because for the most part, it deserves CULT.

Nicodemus mourns the lost the Jonathan in a difficult task against NIMH (later revealed to be National Institute of Mental Health). Jonathan's widow Mrs. Brisby goes to Mr. Ages for help. Her youngest Timothy is ill and can't get up for 3 weeks. However moving day is coming. On the way back home, he runs into the bumbling Crow Jeremy (Dom DeLuise) which attracts the farmer's cat Dragon. The farmer is plowing the field and Mrs. Brisby needs help. Auntie Shrew directs her to the Great Owl who in turn sends her to find Nicodemus.This has the style of the old Disney hand drawn animation. The characters are truly compelling. Mrs. Brisby is a great heroine better than many of the Disney princesses. Dom DeLuise is terrific comic relief. The movie represents the marriage of old style animation, compelling characters and a wonderful story.

This movie has earned a following over the years, more than a few ranking it as one of the best animated movies ever. Its a prestigious title for a film that can be found in the Walmart bargain-bin, packaged with its sequel. Yet once again, I found myself quite disappointed.The plot and character is surprisingly stock. The Secret of NIMH's writing does feel like a standard kid's film. There's little development, few deviations from what'd you expect. There's the hero, the villain, the comedic relief. Mrs. Brisby is likable, at least. I just felt more could have been done with the world presented. And let's not forget that deus ex machina at the ending.NIMH's strengths are its animation, and its use of tone. NIMH is aesthetically dark, making the forest and underground look like horrific worlds. The Great Owl and Nicodemus are great highlights of the film. You feel such a powerful, intimidating aura, like these characters possess inhuman knowledge, and they're talking animals! I can see how this movie chills people to their bones.If this aesthetic interests you, then its worth checking out. It didn't impress me too much, but I decided to be more lenient. Cause heck, I'd watch it again if someone offered. I wouldn't go in expecting a great plot, though. Wind up in the mood, and don't get bogged down by the plot.