The 1980s was an amazing decade for a lot of reasons, awesome music, hilariously awful fashion, video games becoming popular, and animation getting out of the rut it has been in since at least the forties. You see, the eighties was the last decade that the "it's for kids" mentality was really a driving force of the animation being made. It still exists mind you, but nowadays we have an understanding that animation can be made for anyone. This idea really did begin in the seventies with Ralph Bakshi, but it became more of an explored concept in the eighties with releases like Heavy Metal in 1981, Akira and Grave of the Fireflies in 1988 and The Simpsons in 1989. On top of that, we also got a lot more adult children's films, ranging from The Fox and the Hound (one of my personal favourites) and the works of Don Bluth. After he left Disney, he made some of the greatest animated features of the 1980s, starting with The Secret of NIMH.
The Secret of NIMH tells the story of a field mouse named Mrs. Birsby, as she must find a way to move off of her field to avoid getting her and her children killed by the farmer's plow. However, as one of her children is sick and cannot be moved, she must seek help from the Rats, who come from a scientific research lab and have gained superior intelligence. Here, she learns the past of her deceased husband and meets the elder Nicodemus, who tells of her their plans to leave the farm altogether and live independently. However, a power hungry rat named Jenner wishes to sabotage the plans and stay in the rosebush they inhabit. The plot is loosely based on a book, which, this time I have actually read, but a long time ago, I was in Middle School when I read it. So, like usual, I am unable to comment on book accuracy.
As for the plot itself, it is solid. We get to see the motivations of characters and why they do what they do. We see why Mrs. Brisby goes to rough lengths to save her family, why Jenner is in favour of the moving project, and it is seeing these motivations that makes the plot stronger and the characters more interesting.
Speaking of which, when it comes to characters, this movie is almost perfect. Mrs. Brisby is a great character, she's timid and worrisome, but also brave and determined. She'll do whatever it takes to save her family, risking the same fate as her late husband. The rest of the characters are fine, Justin is your typical "Leader-to-be" character, Jenner is your typical treacherous villain, Nicodemus is your typical old wise man, they aren't bad characters, they're actually great characters, and dialogues they have are always interesting, it is more that their motivations won't necessarily shock you. The only character I really found myself disliking was the crow Jeremy, which is kind of funny because Crows are my favourite bird. Jeremy was just really annoying to me, and I get that was kind of the idea, but I found myself really annoyed by him at times. I found myself fast forwarding through his scenes a lot, I really could not stand him.
While the eighties is not knows for super pretty animation, I do think that this movie looks amazing. Don Bluth is an amazing animator and while there are no visible animation errors, the real treat is the design and colours. The design of the home of the rats is really cool, and seeing a lot of the lights is neat. The colour scheme is also nicely varied, a lot of scenes are bright and colourful, others are dark and moody. The canal in the cave is a beautiful and the scene with the Owl is amazing. I have never been more amazed than afraid of a spider in an animated movie, well one that was supposed to be scary anyway. While the movie does have the eighties style to it, it is an aesthetic I enjoy, so it will really come down to your preference on that one. As a whole, the animation is solid, and really does showcase the talents of Don Bluth and his team.
The Secret of NIMH is a wonderful movie. It has a solid plot, identifiable motivations, wonderful characters, amazing background design, smooth animation, beautiful colours, this is a must see for any animation fan. Really, most of the Don Bluth catalogue is worth checking out. He really did some incredible movies, and I really hope we get that Dragon's Lair movie soon. As for The Secret of NIMH, it is a timeless classic that many kids and adults will love. While it is not one of my all time favourites, I still think this movie has earned a High Recommendation.
As for the plot itself, it is solid. We get to see the motivations of characters and why they do what they do. We see why Mrs. Brisby goes to rough lengths to save her family, why Jenner is in favour of the moving project, and it is seeing these motivations that makes the plot stronger and the characters more interesting.
Speaking of which, when it comes to characters, this movie is almost perfect. Mrs. Brisby is a great character, she's timid and worrisome, but also brave and determined. She'll do whatever it takes to save her family, risking the same fate as her late husband. The rest of the characters are fine, Justin is your typical "Leader-to-be" character, Jenner is your typical treacherous villain, Nicodemus is your typical old wise man, they aren't bad characters, they're actually great characters, and dialogues they have are always interesting, it is more that their motivations won't necessarily shock you. The only character I really found myself disliking was the crow Jeremy, which is kind of funny because Crows are my favourite bird. Jeremy was just really annoying to me, and I get that was kind of the idea, but I found myself really annoyed by him at times. I found myself fast forwarding through his scenes a lot, I really could not stand him.
While the eighties is not knows for super pretty animation, I do think that this movie looks amazing. Don Bluth is an amazing animator and while there are no visible animation errors, the real treat is the design and colours. The design of the home of the rats is really cool, and seeing a lot of the lights is neat. The colour scheme is also nicely varied, a lot of scenes are bright and colourful, others are dark and moody. The canal in the cave is a beautiful and the scene with the Owl is amazing. I have never been more amazed than afraid of a spider in an animated movie, well one that was supposed to be scary anyway. While the movie does have the eighties style to it, it is an aesthetic I enjoy, so it will really come down to your preference on that one. As a whole, the animation is solid, and really does showcase the talents of Don Bluth and his team.
The Secret of NIMH is a wonderful movie. It has a solid plot, identifiable motivations, wonderful characters, amazing background design, smooth animation, beautiful colours, this is a must see for any animation fan. Really, most of the Don Bluth catalogue is worth checking out. He really did some incredible movies, and I really hope we get that Dragon's Lair movie soon. As for The Secret of NIMH, it is a timeless classic that many kids and adults will love. While it is not one of my all time favourites, I still think this movie has earned a High Recommendation.
No comments:
Post a Comment