Director Don Bluth's 1982 maiden effort after leaving the Disney company, The Secret of NIMH is a richly-animated family film based on the Newbery Medal-winning children's book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. When the home of widow mouse Mrs. Brisby (the name has been changed from the book) and her children are threatened by the farmer's plow, the missus enlists the aid of a bunch of experimentally-enhanced brainy mice who her deceased husband helped to escape from the National Institute of Mental Health. Derek Jacobi's sonorous voice is used to good effect as Nicodemus, one of the wise mouse leaders, while Dom DeLuise is hilarious as Jeremy, an extraordinarily clumsy but good-hearted crow. Presented with a fine transfer, this double-disc edition features both the widescreen and full screen versions of the film, an audio commentary by Bluth and co-producer Gary Goldman, a retrospective featurette, and five games. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—May 24, 2011—MGM, 83 min., G, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1982's The Secret of NIMH sports a so-so transfer with DTS-HD sound. Blu-ray extras are carried over from the standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Don Bluth and producer Gary Goldman, a “Secrets Behind the Secret” behind-the-scenes featurette (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a somewhat disappointing image mars this otherwise welcome Blu-ray debut of a family film classic.]
The Secret of NIMH
MGM, 2 discs, 82 min., G, DVD: $19.98 Volume 22, Issue 6
The Secret of NIMH
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