The Secret of NIMH

The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 American animated dark fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Productions and released by MGM/UA Entertainment Company for United Artists and features the voices of Elizabeth Hartman, Dom DeLuise, Arthur Malet, Derek Jacobi, Hermione Baddeley, John Carradine, Peter Strauss, and Paul Shenar. The "Mrs. Frisby" name in the novel had to be changed to "Mrs. Brisby" during production due to trademark concerns with Frisbee discs. It was followed in 1998 by a direct-to-video sequel called The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, which was made without Bluth's involvement or input. In 2015, a CGI/live action remake was reported to be in the works.

Plot
Mrs. Brisby, a widowed husband Jonathan's sweet country mouse, lives with her four children in an old brick in the farmer's field Fitzgibbon. The fallow period is coming and Brisby must move as soon as possible but the son Timothy, seriously ill, can not leave the House. Mrs. Brisby seeks advice to Mr. Agenor, old friend of her deceased husband, who provides a little medicine. Driving home the little mouse meets Jeremiah, a crow unscrewed and exuberant but gentle desperate for a girl; the two help each other escape from Dragon, the ferocious cat to Fitzgibbon.

The following day, Mrs. Brisby leaves the House early in the morning and find that the farmer is setting in motion the plow and it will go right on his house. Desperate, he manages with the help of Auntie Shrew to sabotage the farm machine but is aware that within the next day things will start.

Auntie Shrew suggests then you go to seek advice from the Great owl, mice dreaded creature.

For the sake of her son, Mrs. Brisby, aided by Jeremiah comes to the home of the OWL. The great Owl is surprised to discover that she is the wife of Jonathan. Brisby question how do the Great Owl knew about her husband, but he replies that it is not important by mentioning the fact that the name Jonathan is known in the surrounding forests. The great OWL before leaving advises Brisby to get help to rats, that live inside the large Bush of BlackBerry bushes near the House of Fitzgibbon, and their Chief Nicodemus; even though rats are much feared by mice.

Mrs. Brisby is courage and enters the realm of rats, strikingly lighted with electricity usage (in fact Mr. Fitzgibbon not given peace to excessively expensive electricity bills). Initially chased by a brutal rat, Brisby meets Mr. Agenor explaining instructions given to you by OWL, convincing him to take her to Nicodemus. Thereupon he befriends a guard, Justin, which leads her into the presence of the most important personalities among the rats, which show themselves immediately involved, because the name Brisby is not to them at all. The Lady then interviews the wise and mystic Nicodemus, leader of the rats, which accept it graciously and delivers a valuable amulet that glows and acquires great power when brought by a brave heart.

Nicodemus explains to Mrs. Brisby the true story of husband Jonathan after they revealed how he died: these, together with his friend Agenor and many other mice and rats had been trapped by the men of theNational Institute for mental health (National Institute of Mental Health, N.I.M.H.), a dark and mysterious place, as guinea pigs for experiments. These experiments have made mice and rats incredibly intelligent, able to read, write and understand complex concepts of mechanics and electricity, as well as having lengthened the duration of their lives. Thanks to Jonathan Brisby, mice and rats were able to escape from their cages, but on the flight all the mice, apart from Jonathan and Mr. Agenor, were killed. The rats then settled in the tangle of Brambles at the farmer's House Fitzgibbon, harnessing the electricity of the latter and thus starting the construction of their large home with complex mechanisms, elevators and special rooms.

Nicodemus promises to Mrs. Brisby that all rats, in appreciation of what Jonathan has done for them, will help her move her house outside the cultivated field, so that the little Timothy should come out in the open air aggravating his terrible disease. Ringraziatolo, Mrs. Brisby takes his leave and prepares for the appointed day (aided by "Auntie Shrew"), although it has a hint of dissent that was creating among rats, dissatisfied with their present dwelling and robbery against the farmer planning to move to a new place called Valley Spinosa.

The evil Cornelius, representative of the opposition, does not seem to be minimally embittered from a life as a thief, and has no intention of leaving the bramble bush. Then his assistant prepares a plan whereby an accident wanted to predetermined during maneuvers and to move Brisby family home, should drop the big brick on Nicodemus, killing him.

Moving day arrives and while Brisby is trapped indoors Fitzgibbons (captured after drugging the food of Dragon to neutralize it temporarily), floor of Cornelius goes through: the elder Nicodemus stays crushed. Brisby, freed, arrives shortly after and is revealed to have heard Fitzgibbons talking on the phone with the Nimh and they are all in danger. Cornelius to silence the mug and discovers that carries the amulet that he always coveted. Justin and others though they discover the plot and after a long fight with Justin, Cornelius is killed by his own assistant who turns against him, regretted what happened.

At this point the House of Brisby begins to sink into the mud with her children inside, nothing worth the frantic attempts of rats and the same Brisby. Suddenly the amulet, also sunk in the mud, escapes fiery and brilliant. Brisby that grabs and releases the immense power that does emerge his house from mud and then place it on the safe side of the rock.

After a few days, Timothy heals and rats moved downstream Spinosa (getting out to the people of Nimh who decided, in agreement with the farmer, to demolish the bramble Bush to kill them) led by Justin. The film ends with a meeting between Jeremiah and a Crow, including immediate shell the spark.

Production Company
Don Bluth Entertainment