Mild-mannered mouse Mrs. Brisby (wonderfully voiced with great warmth by Elizabeth Hartman) has to move her family from a field that's about to be ploughed, but can't make said move because her youngest son Timmy is sick with pneumonia. Ms. Brisby enlists the aid of a secret society of super-intelligent genetically enhanced escaped lab rats to move her home. Director Don Bluth and writers Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy tell this simple, yet absorbing and inspirational story of courage, friendship and devotion with tremendous clarity and sensitivity. Moreover, the main characters are extremely engaging, with Mrs. Brisby making for an endearing reluctant heroine who most overcome her innate timidity and discover remarkable reserves of inner strength. The uniformly excellent cast voice their colorful roles with admirable aplomb: Hermoine Baddeley as the feisty Auntie Shrew, Dom De Luise as the amiably bumbling Jeremy the Crow, Derek Jacobi as the sage rat leader Nicodemus, Peter Strauss as the dashing, gallant Justin, Paul Shenar as the evil, power mad Jenner, Arthur Malet as cranky old Mr. Ages, Will Wheaton as the blustery Justin, and, in an especially bravura turn, a perfectly sinister John Carradine as the wise, but fearsome the Great Owl. The exquisitely fluid and vivid animation has a striking painterly quality to it. Jerry Goldsmith's supremely graceful, robust and harmonic score further adds to the considerable drama and intrigue. The magical and uplifting conclusion is simply astounding. But ultimately it's the feeling of real heart that's evident throughout which makes this animated feature so special and touching.
Review of The Secret of NIMH
