The Secret of NIMH

Why did every movie circa ’82 have to have Dom DeLuise in it? This movie is celebrated as director Don Bluth's magnum effort to preserve the classic animation style of his former employer—specifically, the ultra-realistic style of Disney films from the studio's original burst of cinematic success in the prewar era. In terms of this work's visuals, Bluth largely succeeded. Everything looks fantastic here, and the drawings provide the sort of real-world setting that grounds an animated story and gives the audience a sharper sense of the story’s truth. Unfortunately, movies are composed of not just visuals but of characters and narrative, too. With the former, the DeLuise question is germane. The unfunny comic's presence as the crow Jonathan indicates Bluth's devotion to old (and, indeed, current) Disney standards to a fault, by including a comic relief persona whose only purpose seems to be to bring advancement of the story to a grinding, grating halt. It is a fault that is shared by other actors as well; many of the characters are simply played too broadly. The plot moves better when the focus remains more closely on Mrs. Brimsby and the rats of NIMH; there, you have an actual interesting storyline to pay attention to. But even there, the scenes featuring the heroine and her children are too treacly for my taste. Speaking of which, the closing song, with vocals by profoundly ’70s lounge lizard Paul Williams, is a truly ghastly number, the kind of sickly sweet tune that you can’t believe exists as anything other than a parody of an animated movie’s closing song. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that some of the more outlandish story elements come across as downright ridiculous given the mostly prosaic setting of the tale; it’s difficult to buy in on the magical doings, much of which occur without any context. Ultimately, that’s a judgment that holds true throughout on this film: terrific visuals and a decent story that are let down by an oddly off-kilter tone that pervades all the way through. It’s no wonder, then, that a film that had such promise, and essentially made such promises, ultimately came up short of success, even if it did eventually find enough following to become a cult favorite. The real secret revealed here: you can’t just get by doing one thing right—you have to put the whole package together.