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Secret Of Nimh
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although director Don Bluth has made two excellent films that were largely ignored by audiences with his recent works "Titan A.E." and "Anastasia", his fine efforts extend many years previous, including the excellent 1982 feature "Secret Of Nimh". The story revolves around a mother mouse named Mrs. Brisby who has a number of things to worry about - her young son is sick and she needs medicine, and her family needs to move out of the way before the farmer's plow takes out their home. The only problem is, the young child's sickness could become worse if he's moved.
She enlists the help of a group of intelligent rats to help her family, and finds a friend in a crow (Dom DeLuise, providing comic relief from an otherwise somewhat dark tale). Although some of NIMH is rather dark and could be a little frightening for the youngest viewers, older children and adults will likely find its world of fantasy wonderfully engaging. I know I found this film very entertaining and enjoyable when I was little and watching it again many years later on this DVD, although MGM didn't do their best with this DVD edition, I still love the movie. The tale of a mother's love and her quest to find the cure for her young child is a touching and emotional center for the film.
What really makes the film is the combination of excellent voice talent and Bluth's superb animation. Although more advanced technology has made for animated pictures that look sharp and sleek, Bluth's rich and beautiful traditional animation for this film still remains stunning. I just wish another studio owned the rights to the picture as it deserves a special edition DVD release.
The DVD
VIDEO: Although I do have some positive things to say about MGM's presentation of this animated film, I also have quite a few negative opinions of their work (or, actually, lack of work) here. The film is presented in a full-frame version, while its original aspect ratio was 1.85:1. Sharpness and detail are not terrible, although sharpness is wanting at times, as the film occasionally has a "soft" look to it.
The film is now 19 years old, and truth be told, there is some wear evident throughout the picture. Although it's more apparent at times than others, print flaws such as scratches, marks and minor speckles become a mild distraction at times. While the print flaws become an irritant at times, at least there's not a great deal else to complain about. Shimmering and pixelation don't appear, but the picture does seem a tad bit grainy at times.
One thing that I was pleased with were colors. The film's vibrant color palette still remains bold and lively here, not looking faded or flawed. Although it's unfortunate that MGM obviously didn't put in much work on the nearly 20 year old film for this release with this full-frame presentation, thankfully this great film hasn't been too effected by age.
SOUND: The Dolby 2.0 presentation sounds a bit dated in terms of sound quality, but all of the finer elements of the soundtrack still remain enjoyable. Jerry Goldsmith's entertaining and occasionally haunting score is clear and doesn't sound thin. The voices provided by the actors still remain clear and easily heard.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The trailer and a small booklet.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: I still consider "Nimh" an animation classic. Although it may scare younger viewers, older children and adults will likely find it engaging. As one of MGM's low-price offerings, this should be available at most stores for around $14.95
Negative: MGM's treatment of the title, like their treatment of many recent releases, is quite dissapointing. Still, I definitely recommend the film as it remains a fantastic work from director Bluth.
Although director Don Bluth has made two excellent films that were largely ignored by audiences with his recent works "Titan A.E." and "Anastasia", his fine efforts extend many years previous, including the excellent 1982 feature "Secret Of Nimh". The story revolves around a mother mouse named Mrs. Brisby who has a number of things to worry about - her young son is sick and she needs medicine, and her family needs to move out of the way before the farmer's plow takes out their home. The only problem is, the young child's sickness could become worse if he's moved.
She enlists the help of a group of intelligent rats to help her family, and finds a friend in a crow (Dom DeLuise, providing comic relief from an otherwise somewhat dark tale). Although some of NIMH is rather dark and could be a little frightening for the youngest viewers, older children and adults will likely find its world of fantasy wonderfully engaging. I know I found this film very entertaining and enjoyable when I was little and watching it again many years later on this DVD, although MGM didn't do their best with this DVD edition, I still love the movie. The tale of a mother's love and her quest to find the cure for her young child is a touching and emotional center for the film.
What really makes the film is the combination of excellent voice talent and Bluth's superb animation. Although more advanced technology has made for animated pictures that look sharp and sleek, Bluth's rich and beautiful traditional animation for this film still remains stunning. I just wish another studio owned the rights to the picture as it deserves a special edition DVD release.
The DVD
VIDEO: Although I do have some positive things to say about MGM's presentation of this animated film, I also have quite a few negative opinions of their work (or, actually, lack of work) here. The film is presented in a full-frame version, while its original aspect ratio was 1.85:1. Sharpness and detail are not terrible, although sharpness is wanting at times, as the film occasionally has a "soft" look to it.
The film is now 19 years old, and truth be told, there is some wear evident throughout the picture. Although it's more apparent at times than others, print flaws such as scratches, marks and minor speckles become a mild distraction at times. While the print flaws become an irritant at times, at least there's not a great deal else to complain about. Shimmering and pixelation don't appear, but the picture does seem a tad bit grainy at times.
One thing that I was pleased with were colors. The film's vibrant color palette still remains bold and lively here, not looking faded or flawed. Although it's unfortunate that MGM obviously didn't put in much work on the nearly 20 year old film for this release with this full-frame presentation, thankfully this great film hasn't been too effected by age.
SOUND: The Dolby 2.0 presentation sounds a bit dated in terms of sound quality, but all of the finer elements of the soundtrack still remain enjoyable. Jerry Goldsmith's entertaining and occasionally haunting score is clear and doesn't sound thin. The voices provided by the actors still remain clear and easily heard.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The trailer and a small booklet.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: I still consider "Nimh" an animation classic. Although it may scare younger viewers, older children and adults will likely find it engaging. As one of MGM's low-price offerings, this should be available at most stores for around $14.95
Negative: MGM's treatment of the title, like their treatment of many recent releases, is quite dissapointing. Still, I definitely recommend the film as it remains a fantastic work from director Bluth.
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