The Secret of NIMH

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The Secret of NIMH

G

1982

1h 22m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

70 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, must move her children out of their home in a field before the local farmer starts plowing. Unable to leave because her son is ill, Mrs. Brisby seeks the help of nearby rats, who have heightened intelligence after being the subjects of scientific experiments. She receives an unexpected gift from the elder rat, Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi). Soon Mrs. Brisby is caught in a conflict among the rats, jeopardizing her mission to save her family.

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Critics Consensus

The Secret of NIMH seeks to resurrect the classical style of American animation and succeeds, telling a mature story with rapturous presentation.

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Rita Kempley

Washington Post

11/11/2021

Sadly, The Secret of NIMH is beautiful but unbalanced: The animators gambled when they should have gamboled.

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Susie Eisenhuth

Sydney Morning Herald

11/11/2021

3/4

Parents wistful for the world of mystery and magic fondly remembered from the best of the Disney cartoon features should hasten along to this rather endearing fantasy.

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Neil Jillett

The Age (Australia)

11/11/2021

This American full-length animated cartoon lives up to its publicity as a return to the meticulous artwork and storybook charm of the golden days of Disney.

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Katie Hogan

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

12/11/2024

4/5

At its heart, The Secret of NIMH is aimed at children, but it still hits all the same nostalgic notes for those who watched it as a child and again as an adult.

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Mat Brunet

AniMat's Review (YouTube)

09/06/2024

10/10

The Secret of NIMH is an animated feature that has every right to be called a masterpiece. Just about every element of this picture is amazingly crafted to present how animation can truly be a storytelling medium.

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

08/05/2022

4.5/5

Known for its beautiful hand-drawn animation style, one very unique to that time period and a far cry from the computer-generated style that would take hold in the Pixar era. (40th anniversary)

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Sam A

@RT78318624 Apr 27

This is easily my 1# favorite animated movie of all time the score the characters the story it's just beautiful and creepy but it's in my top 5 favorite movies & if you watch this movie on vhs turned off the color on your TV and watch it in black and white and it just makes it more darker

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Jason B

@RT90795834 Apr 3

When I was younger, my class watch this movie it is a horrible movie. It is really dark in dramatic. I think you have to be really old to understand it. Well, you probably won’t even understand it when you’re old is there’s no matter and the other a rat that get injected with needles and there’s a sword fight and stuff in the main character gets killed and I wish it was more like the book but I thought the book was even sad. I would’ve gave it zero of stars, but I can only give it have a stars cause that is low as it goes. If there was negative I’d give it 1 million negative this is a horrible movie. I don’t think you could watch them at all and my daughter got scared by hearing the interview. I think you might even got nightmares and I just think you’d get really scared so I don’t think you should watch it when I watched that school, that was just not for me.

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Leigh H.

@NautiAuti Feb 25

One of the Greatest movie of all times

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Nicholas T

@nicktalbert2025 Jan 12

the secret of nimh is the best animation movie ever

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Gregory S

@Gregory566 Jan 8

Loved it as a kid, and loved it while watching with my kids.

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James H

@RT51557711 Nov 2

These type of movies were much needed when they came out, and they are even more needed to be made now! Great movie, was a favorite when I was a kid and even now as an adult is a movie I want to sit down and emerse myself in. Please make more movies like this Hollywood, and if not Hollywood, anyone make them!

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Don Bluth

Director

Elizabeth Hartman

Mrs. Brisby

Derek Jacobi

Nicodemus

Dom DeLuise

Jeremy

Shannen Doherty

Teresa

Edie McClurg

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Synopsis

Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, must move her children out of their home in a field before the local farmer starts plowing. Unable to leave because her son is ill, Mrs. Brisby seeks the help of nearby rats, who have heightened intelligence after being the subjects of scientific experiments. She receives an unexpected gift from the elder rat, Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi). Soon Mrs. Brisby is caught in a conflict among the rats, jeopardizing her mission to save her family.

Director: Don Bluth
Producer: Gary Goldman, Don Bluth
Screenwriter: Don Bluth, Will Finn, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy
Distributor: United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Aurora, Don Bluth
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 30, 1982, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 25, 2012
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, 1.66:1, Flat (1.85:1)