The Secret of NIMH
I watched the second movie as a kid, it was the greatest shit to my young mind with all the zip, zazz and zambomafoo of the"Just Say Yes" song of Evil Martin and the magnificently hammy actor. He
was the sequel, making everything else in it pale in comparison. I can't go back and watch it now because it being a sequel without the maker would mean it's probably shit and it probably is crap but that song was the bees knees.
Yup, that is all I remember from the movie. Maybe the doctor and the ball from a few minutes earlier but nothing else. Nothing at all.
What also confirms it being shit is how high quality
The Secret of NIMH is. It still holds up and while it has some deus ex machina, crockery and a plow scene that may not have had the effects that match some of the zazzier zazz, it still has a main character you care about, comic relief for the kids, minor characters import to the plot who are actually incredibly awesome, a well and generally simple tale with stakes I wasn't expecting and it wasn't bogged down with too many wacky antics.
Mrs. Brisby, that fox is a stone cold mama jama. She goes on this awesome adventure to save her kid, gets into danger and meets a great cast, escapes from danger and shows that just because you're a main character, doesn't mean you have to fight everything and win. She's just an adorable mouse in a red shawl; she isn't a badass like her husband Johnathan. She isn't some hero who learns to fight. She is a regular person who just goes on an journey for her kids, and acts as such. She musters courage throughout and it builds up but it isn't overly prevalent in her staring others down or anything. She is the smallest person around, encountering a giant ass fat cat, crow and rats, let alone others. And it makes you like her even more; she doesn't give up, acts like a person in her situation would do, and is rational to a T. Excellent main character.
Supporting cast is also solid, from secondaries to minors who get one scene. And I want to give a shoutout to Brutus. That boy is fucking gangsta. No words, only fierce badassery. He is like the Balrog or some shit, you don't fuck with him and all Mrs. Brisby did was walk in there. It was a tense, action-packed visual explosion, one of the scenes where it nails the special effects and this isn't even going into the build-up of the clash. It showcases how well the animation and art style holds up, the visual splendor of treasure and artifacts with the doom and gloom of the general feel of the Rat Enclave.
Then you have people like The Owl (Hardcore gangsta who respects bravery and shit, like one scene and he. Owns. It) or characters with more scenes like Jeremy (Bumbling comic relief that grew on me in the movie), Justin (The guy who would be a hero in any other movie but is just a captain or something here, not as heavily prominent as Mrs. Brisby but plays a good role without overly heavy amounts of shipping) and Nicodemus, the old ass pimp rat who narrates some and is hella awesome. The voice work for all of them, let alone Mrs. Brisby is spot-on. This is some high-shelf stuff and despite some padding and irrelevancy with Jeremy, the rest of the cast serve a purpose for the greater story. And the villain, not as heavily prominent too but he is a solid enough villain with a moment where he becomes more animalistic and primal, kinda like Ratigan from
The Great Mouse Detective where he shows more rat traits as it goes on; giving in to being a rat. Jenner (Villain) shows some of these traits in the climatic fight just like Ratigan and even throughout you could see some of the mice acting like mice, running on all four paws and not just around humans or anything; It's enjoyable to see how they're still animals and not animals with human traits.
But the deus ex machina at the end was cheese. We get hints that the amulet is magical and shows it's power for those who have bravery and inner courage but it was some crazy shit and saves the day. They did write themselves into the corner with the progression of the climax but you can't have all that death, right? And some comic relief padding but those are just niggling nitpicking and don't ruin the story, even if there's also some last second "throw the dog a bone" for an ending. But it provides some backstory to NIMH, not overly prevalent or heavy but it's both needed and somehow gives even more depth to these 3D characters, in a segment that has not only great animation and some questionable monkey looks, but a stunning look of fear on some mice. That look, that was prime.
This is a great movie. Excellent movie. It has characters you care about, developed even if you don't have an affinity for them. Gorgeous, special effects that hold up and isn't all sunshine and rainbows, more serious than not and is pretty dark, giving youngsters some props by not dumbing it down. Some thrills and tension because of Mrs. Brisby, who is an absolute perfect main character. It's still worth watching and while the stakes might not be grand, it's grand in their small world.
9/10