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The Secret of NIMH
- 931 statements
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This page is about the animated film The Secret of NIMH. If you are looking for the article about the book or its literary sequels, see Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.The Secret of NIMH is Don Bluth's first feature-length film, released in 1982. It is based very loosely on Robert C. O'Brien's Newbery Medal Award-winning novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.Mrs. Brisby (voiced by Elizabeth Hartman) is a widowed mouse and mother of four living near a farm. With spring fast approaching and the frost melting from the ground, her family has to move in order to avoid the farmer's plow — but one of the children, Timothy, has come down with pneumonia and can't be moved for a few weeks. On the advice of an ancient but perceptive owl, she solicits the aid of the rats who live in a nearby rosebush, whom she soon learns are escaped lab rats from NIMH with human level-intelligence. Her late husband Jonathan Brisby had been a good friend of the rats, so the rat leader Nicodemus is willing to help his widow, but none of them expect interference from Nicodemus' rival Jenner, who wants the rats to take a path of his own...The Secret of NIMH was Don Bluth's first feature film after leaving Disney; it was even produced a decade after Disney itself had turned down adapting the original story. Bluth used traditional tools and methods as a way of fighting back against the movement towards lower production costs (and lower quality animation). Released by United Artists, which had just recently folded into MGM, the film was commercially a moderate box office success, costing $7 million and earning $14 million. This modest revenue was, in part, due to competition with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. NIMH eventually managed to seduce the director of E.T., Steven Spielberg, into teaming up with Bluth. Together, they made two rather high-grossing animated films of the decade: An American Tail and The Land Before Time, both distributed by Universal Pictures.Years after the original film, MGM released a Direct to Video sequel called The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue. The film was, predictably, produced without Bluth's involvement. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_121b3725 | type |
Age Lift | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_121b3725 | comment |
Age Lift: Nicodemus appears very old, considering the injections given to the rats slowed their aging. In the book, he was presumably about the same age as them. | |
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Badly Battered Babysitter | |
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Badly Battered Babysitter: Poor Jeremy... | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_1460b100 | type |
Death Is a Sad Thing | |
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Death Is a Sad Thing: Though Timmy doesn't actually die, even the youngest characters confront death head on and discuss the possibility openly. Bluth films are actually famous for handling the subject of death very well, in a frank and realistic manner, especially for family films. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_15da4941 | type |
Badass Adorable | |
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Badass Adorable: Mrs. Brisby. A humble and meek little mouse girl with adorable blue eyes, her sheer cuteness makes it even more awesome when she's able to overcome her fears and face impossible odds for the sake of her children. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_16d14f03 | type |
Gratuitous Laboratory Flasks | |
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Gratuitous Laboratory Flasks: Mr. Ages' laboratory features a ton of (human-sized) chemistry apparatus filled with bubbling concoctions which he's seen using once, to prepare a medicinal powder for the feverish Timothy. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_18aff462 | type |
Artistic License – Biology | |
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Artistic License – Biology: The injections administered to the rats in the NIMH flashbacks are much, much too large for a one-pound rodent to receive without dying of heart failure. The proper veterinary dosage for such tiny animals' injections has a volume of a fraction of a mL. However, this may just be the rats' imagination, seeing as the lab also looks quite unsanitary. The Great Owl is heard flapping his wings when he leaves his tree. Being nocturnal hunters, owls' wings are silent as their feathers greatly reduce the noise caused by turbulence. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_19851b86 | type |
The Sociopath | |
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The Sociopath: Jenner. | |
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Last Breath Bullet | |
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Last Breath Bullet: Knife, actually. It's how Jenner meets his end. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_1e1aa82a | type |
Diabolus ex Machina | |
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Diabolus ex Machina: Jenner's upgrade in role from a minor character in the book to the film's villain basically serves this purpose. He's introduced out of nowhere rather late in the film (around 42 minutes in), and gets less than six minutes of screentime—his characterization is solely defined by him trying to stage a coup to usurp power by any means necessary, and all he contributes in the plot is providing yet another source of conflict for Mrs. Brisby and the other rats. In his book "The Art of Storyboard", Don Bluth even said Jenner's role was solely to provide another obstacle for Mrs. Brisby. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_1e4ad177 | type |
Technicolor Science | |
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Technicolor Science: Mr. Ages' fairly elaborate little lab, seen early in the film, has some hallmarks of this. | |
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Hidden Heart of Gold | |
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See also Brutus under Hidden Heart of Gold, above. | |
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Cape Swish | |
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Cape Swish: Jenner has mastered this move (which one feels he picked up from Maleficent). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_20f689e9 | type |
Adaptational Villainy | |
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Adaptational Villainy: In the book the film is based on, Jenner is a much less villainous Commander Contrarian, and doesn't kill Nicodemus like his film incarnation does. In fact, one can argue that they made Jenner evil simply for the sake of having a villain. The NIMH institute themselves. In the book they were portrayed as people simply doing their jobs, and even treating the animals kindly. In the film they were turned into stereotypical evil scientists who experimented on animals for reasons never given and are seen treating animals badly. Though not a villain, per se, Brutus in the book simply gives Mrs. Brisby a hard time before letting her into the rosebush, unlike here where he apparently finds it easier to chase her away by scaring the hell out of her. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_21b9581f | type |
Underlighting | |
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Underlighting: Underlighting was used for the glowing eyes on Nicodemus and the Great Owl. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_21f3aa44 | type |
Good Is Not Nice | |
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Good is Not Nice: Mr. Ages and Auntie Shrew are both rude and haughty at the best of times, but are also amongst the most courageous characters next to Mrs. Brisby herself. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_22cf536c | type |
Chekhov's Gun | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_22cf536c | comment |
Chekhov's Gun: The amulet, which grants Mrs. Brisby major telekinetic powers, enough to move a block many times her weight several feet. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_230c2632 | type |
Glowing Eyes | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_230c2632 | comment |
Glowing Eyes: Nicodemus, full stop. His eyes always glow. The Great Owl's eyes are exactly the same. It's never explained why, though glowing eyes seem to be associated with great age and wisdom and some kind of unexplained power. Owls and rats (and, indeed, most nocturnal vertebrates) also have light-reflectant eyes. Why it's only obvious with these two probably falls under Rule of Cool. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_24b88e85 | type |
Unwanted Assistance | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_24b88e85 | comment |
Unwanted Assistance: Mrs. Brisby gets irritated by Jeremy's continued antics, which are more likely to bring the wrath of Dragon down on her head than aid her. Eventually, she tricks him into leaving her alone by claiming that she needs him to look after the children while she is gone. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_259d5879 | type |
Anachronism Stew | |
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Anachronism Stew: Downplayed but still present. The rats use swords and have a vaguely medieval manner of dress, but also have electricity and some advanced technology. See also Schizo Tech. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_26d1f65f | type |
Verbal Tic | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_26d1f65f | comment |
Verbal Tic: Aunt Shrew's Trrrilling Rrrs put The Demon Sisters to shame. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_27a40541 | type |
Furry Confusion | |
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Furry Confusion: The rats angst over this quite a bit. Though, looking at the farm animals, all of them show intelligence and act somewhat like humans — to a point. Only the insects play fully realistic parts. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_27a58d30 | type |
Carnivore Confusion | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_27a58d30 | comment |
Carnivore Confusion: Lampshaded: "Owls eat mice!" "Uh...only after dark." There are bones strewn about the Owl's lair. Owls compact the indigestible parts of their meals (feathers, fur, and bones) into a pellet-like solid. The bones in the Owl's lair were probably from disintegrated pellets and meant to show just how ancient he is; at his age, he's not too concerned with keeping his lair tidy. The Owl seems to be completely nonplussed by this mouse (for reasons discussed below) but he'll gladly eat a passing bug. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2a090d00 | type |
Lampshade Hanging | |
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Lampshade Hanging: The film is all around rather dark, introspective, and has a very thick thread of plotlines centered around the Rats of NIMH and their backstory. When Mrs. Brisby meets Justin and he takes them to meet the others in the council room (who are in the middle of a heated political debate), he acknowledges to her that "We tend to take ourselves a little too seriously." | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2ae29c0d | type |
The Dreaded | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2ae29c0d | comment |
The Dreaded: Dragon, the farm cat is truly monstrous and feared by all the woodland animals save for the rats who know how to pacify him. The Great Owl is this towards the woodland animals, for obvious reasons. The rats of NIMH who live in the rosebush are this to some of the woodland creatures, especially Auntie Shrew. The same Auntie Shrew who single-handedly faces down a tractor and wins, later tells Mrs. Brisby to show courage in asking an owl for help, and captures and ties up a crow, visibly panics at the sound of the rats arriving. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2bc0fc4d | type |
Ice-Cream Koan | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2bc0fc4d | comment |
Ice-Cream Koan: The inscription on the back of the amulet: "You can unlock any door, if you only have the key." | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2bdae2ae | type |
Awesome, but Impractical | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2bdae2ae | comment |
Awesome, but Impractical: The ink Nicodemus uses to write in his journal in the opening scene. It sheds golden sparkly fairy dust all over the place, and the text he writes doesn't become visible until after a two-second delay, seeming to burn itself into the paper. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2bfb1856 | type |
Beard of Evil | |
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Beard of Evil: Jenner has one. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2d78cee0 | type |
Cobweb Jungle | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2d78cee0 | comment |
Cobweb Jungle: The Great Owl's lair. The Great Owl himself, come to mention it. Hey, it looks awesome! | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2e9105e4 | type |
Power-Strain Blackout | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2e9105e4 | comment |
Power-Strain Blackout: Mrs. Brisby, immediately following the film's climax, wherein she uses The Stone for the first and only time to move her home. She collapses as its power subsides, then passes out. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2ea2942b | type |
Conspicuously Light Patch | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2ea2942b | comment |
Conspicuously Light Patch: While the characters' fairly straightforward animation is understandable in contrast to the sumptuously painted backgrounds, when something in the background needs animating, it can be rather jarring. The mud sloshing around the Brisby's house as they're trying to move it is particularly obvious. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_2f95aaf0 | type |
Father's Quest | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_2f95aaf0 | comment |
Father's Quest: Mother's Quest in this case: the film has mother mouse Brisby facing the destruction of her home once the farmer starts his plowing tractor. (The animals call this Moving Day.) Brisby can get herself and three of her children away safely, but her youngest, Timmy, lies sick abed and cannot be moved. This mother goes to extraordinary lengths to keep poor Timmy alive and intact, including consulting the Great Owl (owls eat mice), petitioning help from intelligent rats (rats tend regard mice as "lower creatures"), and using a Magitek amulet that leaves her drained to exhaustion. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3130e2c6 | type |
Uplifted Animal | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3130e2c6 | comment |
Uplifted Animal: The rats and mice were given enhanced intelligence and lifespans by NIMH's experiments, though they still can't speak to humans and it seems that ordinary rodents can communicate just as well. Aside from Mrs. Brisby's difficulty reading. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_32834f | type |
Animal Facial Hair | |
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Animal Facial Hair: Nicodemus has a Wizard Beard. | |
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Adapted Out | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_33d5b7f2 | comment |
Adapted Out: The book went into detail about what the rats did between escaping NIMH and building their colony under the rosebush. This is entirely omitted from the film. | |
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Hysterical Woman | |
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Hysterical Woman: Mrs. Brisby is very neurotic and timid, but given the circumstances she goes through, it's understandable she'd be scared out of her wits. When she tries to warn the rats that NIMH is on their way to kill them, Jenner even accuses her of being hysterical. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_342c2ebc | type |
Longevity Treatment | |
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Longevity Treatment: Nicodemus mentions to Mrs. Brisby that the genetic manipulation slowed their aging process, and that Jonathan would have continued to live on and still look young while she grew old. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_35f57671 | type |
Minion with an F in Evil | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_35f57671 | comment |
Minion with an F in Evil: Sullivan doesn't really do anything to further Jenner's plots. He can't bear the thought of killing Nicodemus and refuses to swing his sword at the crucial moment, leaving Jenner to do the dirty deed. He even tries to stop Jenner from going over the edge and gets his chest cut for his troubles. He lives just long enough to redeem himself by stabbing Jenner In the Back before he kills Justin. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3862fa01 | type |
Ludd Was Right | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3862fa01 | comment |
Ludd Was Right: The Rats of NIMH angst over their dependence on electricity, as they must steal it from the farm. The whole plan to move to Thorn Valley hinges on their becoming entirely self-sufficient. It's not that they don't like technology or advancement; stealing electricity from the humans just is dangerously conspicuous activity for hyperintelligent rodents on the run. That and they're starting to gain some human-like morality and deeper emotion, such as the feeling of ennui as they realize that a life living entirely off the back of another was robbing them of self-worth. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3ac583f4 | type |
SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3ac583f4 | comment |
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: While this movie can certainly get dark, it still leans more towards the idealistic side. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3b113b7 | type |
Character Development | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3b113b7 | comment |
Character Development: With the help of the Great Owl and Nicodemus, Mrs. Brisby is encouraged to find her own courage and inner strength instead of falling back on others for help, and then use it with the amulet to save her kids. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3b113b7 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3c5ae1a1 | type |
Schizo Tech | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3c5ae1a1 | comment |
Schizo Tech: Crosses over with Hammerspace when Justin and Jenner pull out their swords. Considering that the rats adapt human technology based on their functioning understanding of it (well, at least in the novel), one might wonder where they managed to come up with the idea that full-on medieval swords in tiny miniature version would be a good idea. Especially considering the kinds of heat needed to shape metal when they live in a flammable environment (it's a rose bush). In any case, for some this might lean into Fridge Logic country, and for others it leans in the opposite direction, however you can't deny that the combination of electricity, elevators, lighting... and magic and swords is a little schizoid. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3c5ae1a1 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3e80f488 | type |
Glowing Flora | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3e80f488 | comment |
Glowing Flora: Mrs. Brisby manages to find a gorgeous inner sanctum inside the rosebush. The approach way is lit by the blooms of flowers bedded alongside the path. These blooms go dim and close tightly as Brisby comes near, darkening the area ominously. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3e80f488 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3e95582f | type |
The Greatest Story Never Told | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3e95582f | comment |
The Greatest Story Never Told: In the movie, how the uplifted mice and rats manage to make their way out of the labyrinthine building their lab is in. The book describes their escape in detail while the movie limits it to a couple of brief scenes (albeit one that's pure, distilled Nightmare Fuel). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3e95582f | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3ed23024 | type |
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3ed23024 | comment |
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Sullivan gets cold feet about cutting the rope to drop the Brisby house on Nicodemus, but since all he does is refuse, Jenner cuts both ropes himself. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3ed23024 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3f0b2f50 | type |
Make It Look Like an Accident | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3f0b2f50 | comment |
Make It Look Like an Accident: Jenner exploits the Moving Day and engineers Nicodemus' death by sabotaging the equipment at a crucial moment when their leader's in the line of fire. It works and all the grief-stricken Rats believe it was a tragic accident. Jenner's in the clear... until he loses all self-control and Justin ends up fighting him. In the middle of their duel, Justin suddenly and correctly deduces Jenner's role in the "accident" (and Jenner, having nothing left to lose, takes credit and gloats). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3f0b2f50 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3fca462c | type |
Deus ex Machina | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_3fca462c | comment |
Deus ex Machina: The ending. The stone was mentioned to have a power early, but Deus ex Machina in that the power wasn't fully explained. In other words, it's a type 2 or 3 Deus ex Machina. In the interview "Remembering NIMH", Don outright acknowledges that the miracle the amulet brings has religious connotations. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_3fca462c | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_40bb59d0 | type |
Blatant Lies | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_40bb59d0 | comment |
Blatant Lies: At one point, Jenner says "It would be an honor to assist Jonathan's widow in any way. We are but your humble servants." Not only is he already scheming to replace Nicodemus as leader of the NIMH rats, but he eventually tries to kill Mrs. Brisby when she gets in his way. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_40bb59d0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_40c57041 | type |
Manipulative Bastard | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_40c57041 | comment |
Manipulative Bastard: Jenner. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_40c57041 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4127eb1 | type |
Shut Up, Hannibal! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4127eb1 | comment |
Shut Up, Hannibal!: | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4127eb1 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_41f45fa2 | type |
Inexplicably Awesome | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_41f45fa2 | comment |
Inexplicably Awesome: The amulet Nicodemus gives Mrs. Brisby. In fact, Nicodemus' magic powers in general. The film never explains where either came from. It's not even addressed if Nicodemus got those abilities as a side effect of the injection (which would raise questions about why the other rats got no such abilities) or if he was intelligent enough to learn them on his own. Years later, Don Bluth handwaved the presence of the amulet in an interview: | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_41f45fa2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_475d592d | type |
You Dirty Rat! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_475d592d | comment |
You Dirty Rat!: Defied — the rats gain a sense of morality and consider it wrong to steal from humans, the very species who locked them up and experimented on them. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_475d592d | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4781adbb | type |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4781adbb | comment |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: "Auntie" Shrew. She is first introduced as a pish-posh busybody who walks around with an incredible air of self-importance, but she soon demonstrates great bravery by warning all the animals about the plow and rescuing Mrs. Brisby from the tractor. Mr. Ages is for the most part a cranky, unsociable hermit though he nevertheless assists Mrs. Brisby with every plea she makes to assist her family, plus is revealed to have been quite the badass himself, being the one previously tasked with drugging the cat before he injured his leg, as well as playing a part in the rats' escape alongside Jonathan Brisby. See also Brutus under Hidden Heart of Gold, above. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4781adbb | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_47fea76b | type |
Butt-Monkey | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_47fea76b | comment |
Butt-Monkey: Jeremy, a lonely compassionate crow who just wants to help out and find love. Unfortunately, he is also a hapless klutz, tending to cause more problems than he solves. He's constantly reprimanded by Mrs. Brisby until she eventually gets rid of him by having him see to trivial minor duties, both of which he fails miserably with, too. He does at least get his "Miss Right" at the end of it, though. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_47fea76b | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_48c99e19 | type |
Death by Adaptation | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_48c99e19 | comment |
Death by Adaptation: Near the end of the film, Nicodemus is killed by Jenner. This does not happen the novel, as Jenner had already left the rats and Nicodemus goes to Thorn Valley in the end. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_48c99e19 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_48dfb7e4 | type |
Stock Sound Effects | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_48dfb7e4 | comment |
Stock Sound Effects: Some of Dragon's growls are from the Balrog of 1978's The Lord of the Rings. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_48dfb7e4 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_496569e8 | type |
Race Against the Clock | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_496569e8 | comment |
Race Against the Clock: The threat of Fitzgibbon's plow destroying Mrs. Brisby's home and killing Timmy inside is the driving conflict of the movie, which makes her seek out the aid of the Rats of NIMH in order to move her house to safety in time. In his book "The Art of Storyboard", Don claims the scene where Mrs. Brisby and Nicodemus are in the boat under the crumbling watermill is meant to subtly add to this element, even though it's a scene of exposition related to the second plotline of the Rats leaving the Rose Bush for Thorn Valley. And then a third element of this is added in the climax. The scientists of NIMH get word that their rats are in the thorn bush, and are on their way to exterminate them. Mrs. Brisby overhears Fitzgibbon talking them to them about it over the phone, and she rushes off to warn the Rats to get out as soon as possible. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_496569e8 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_49d59be9 | type |
Scenery Porn | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_49d59be9 | comment |
Scenery Porn: Lots of it, especially in the rat colony. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_49d59be9 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4c7e2c2d | type |
Heroic Fantasy | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4c7e2c2d | comment |
Heroic Fantasy: The movie is the book's plot redone as a Swords and Sorcery epic, and goes a long way to explain some of the odd depictions and Carnivore Confusion: Mrs. Brisby as a peasant girl, beset by forces beyond her understanding. She looks to those much more powerful than her to save her family from an onrushing (un)natural disaster. Her husband (and Posthumous Character) Jonathan Brisby, who is killed executing his duty without ever telling his wife about his hidden past. His death kicks off the plot proper... Dragon as a troll/griffon/other man-eating fantasy monster, not too bright but cunning, the primary local hazard, and one that the rats must deal with every time they need to venture outside their Hidden Elf Kingdom... Mr. Ages as the grumpy local apothecary (and Gadgeteer Genius) with a hidden past and friends in very high places... Auntie Shrew as the Town Crier, busybody and gossip (and very useful - not to mention courageous - when danger comes calling). Jeremy as the helpful but bumbling village idiot and Cloud Cuckoolandernote (Any crow flock would certainly consider him an idiot!) The rats as a powerful Hidden Elf Kingdom, complete with court intrigue, which the poor peasant girl quickly finds herself a pawn of... Jenner as the ambitious nobleman, scheming to turn the situation to his advantage to kill Nicodemus and take his throne... Nicodemus as a powerful mage, a literal Sorceror King, and secretly aligned with... ...the Great Owl as the real dragon, an ancient, cave-dwelling "Great Wyrm" that offers Mrs. Brisby salient advice at Nicodemus' behest... .. and so on. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4c7e2c2d | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4d044580 | type |
Motive Rant | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4d044580 | comment |
Motive Rant: Jenner has a very memorable one when confronted with his murder of Nicodemus by Justin: | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4d044580 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4dbd3706 | type |
Clap Your Hands If You Believe | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4dbd3706 | comment |
Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The power of the Amulet seems to run on this. The inscription on the back of it even cryptically alludes to this: | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4dbd3706 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4f4bbeff | type |
Interspecies Friendship | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_4f4bbeff | comment |
In actuality, almost everything that appears in the movie from the Interspecies Friendships to the rather smart intelligence of animals to the cooperation of two different species has actually been observed and recorded both in captivity and in the wild, though the chances of it being seen and recorded is incredibly rare. In fact, the only thing that is blatantly untrue in this movie is the anthropomorphic shape of the animals. Well... that and the magic. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_4f4bbeff | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_52c0c7cf | type |
Motive Decay | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_52c0c7cf | comment |
Motive Decay: Jenner spends most of his screentime planning to usurp leadership of the Rats of NIMH by murdering Nicodemus in a staged accident. Shortly after, he tries to kill Mrs. Brisby when she brings news that NIMH is coming, but once he sees the Amulet that Nicodemus gave her, Jenner, for no clear reason, abruptly forgets everything else and changes his goal to killing Mrs. Brisby for it.note While Nicodemus foreshadowed that he feared Jenner would get the Amulet, it isn't made clear if Jenner even knew if it existed or if it had magical power in the first place. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_52c0c7cf | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_557a31ce | type |
Actual Pacifist | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_557a31ce | comment |
Actual Pacifist: Sullivan, Jenner's ally on the council of the rats. Jenner hatches a plan to murder Nicodemus and make it look like an accident with Sullivan's help, but Sullivan wants to back out at every step of the way and abhors the idea of killing. Eventually he redeems himself while dying by throwing a dagger into Jenner's back. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_557a31ce | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_564c1500 | type |
Red String of Fate | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_564c1500 | comment |
Red String of Fate: This may or may not be an intentional usage. When Mrs. Brisby first meets Jeremy, he is tangled in red string, which he is retrieving to build a "love nest" for his future "Mrs. Right". | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_564c1500 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_575fd5e2 | type |
Dark Is Not Evil | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_575fd5e2 | comment |
Dark Is Not Evil: The Great Owl, who is neutral. Also Nicodemus, because not only is he scary and ugly , but also actually quite dark in himself (largely thanks to the fact that the colours in the movie are quite dull and brown, as was the style in fantastic films of the time). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_575fd5e2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_581f6468 | type |
Hero of Another Story | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_581f6468 | comment |
Hero of Another Story: Jonathan Brisby, who helped the Rats escape the NIHM facility. His legacy is what convinces the Rats to aid Mrs. Brisby in her time of need. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_581f6468 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_583ec33e | type |
Snark-to-Snark Combat | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_583ec33e | comment |
Snark-to-Snark Combat: Justin and Jenner do this in one moment of the movie. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_583ec33e | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_58e43f17 | type |
Cats Are Mean | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_58e43f17 | comment |
Cats Are Mean: The cat in question is named Dragon. It is a refreshing change in that this cat, who acts just like a cat, is considered bad but doesn't get an undeserved comeuppance. What is very interesting about this is that, in the scene where Mrs. Fitzgibbon is hanging out the laundry and Dragon is sleeping near the back step (a scene which takes more of an omniscient camera view than the first-person view of the mice), he doesn't come across nearly so horrifying. Part of this may be due to him being drugged at the time, but it also comes across as him seeming a normal cat here but a monster in all his other scenes because that is how a cat would look and sound to a mouse. (See Translation Convention.) | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_58e43f17 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5904e198 | type |
Tuft of Head Fur | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5904e198 | comment |
Tuft of Head Fur: Most of the mice have tufts of fur on their head. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_5904e198 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5b19cc1b | type |
Air-Vent Passageway | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5b19cc1b | comment |
Air-Vent Passageway: Seen in the flashback to the labs. Of course... they're rats and mice. The realistic consequences happens repeatedly; when the air conditioning is turned on, all the mice are killed except Jonathan and Mr. Ages. When they reach the roof, they are stopped dead by the mesh grating; Jonathan became the hero of the rats due to being the only one small enough to squeeze through and open it from the outside. | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5b19cc1b | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5ce7dbb9 | type |
Central Theme | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5ce7dbb9 | comment |
Central Theme: Progression and whats the best way in order to continue to grow. Science vs. Technology vs Nature vs. The Uncertainty. | |
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1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_5ce7dbb9 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_60fa92ac | type |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_60fa92ac | comment |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Oh, that's just Brutus." Also, Dragon. Only a bastard son of an ape would give their pet that name. The Great Owl tops them all, as befitting a Great Wyrm character. Nobody with sense messes with him save Nicodemus, who is equal in power and allied with him. Mrs. Brisby is forced to seek his advice, at extreme peril to her life. Extremely fortunately for her, Nicodemus, watching from afar, warned him she was coming, and his attitude changes completely when she reveals who she is. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_60fa92ac | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_617f0563 | type |
Heel–Face Turn | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_617f0563 | comment |
Heel–Face Turn: Sullivan. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_617f0563 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_631399c1 | type |
Siding with the Suffering | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_631399c1 | comment |
Siding with the Suffering: Sullivan works with his leader Jenner, but he begins to get second thoughts when Jenner orders him to cut a rope to crush Nicodemus. He refuses to do so and tries to stop Jenner from going too far, only for the enraged Jenner to slice him with a sword in retribution. Later, Jenner is about to slash Justin with his sword, but the dying Sullivan uses the last of his strength to throw his own dagger at Jenner, saving Justin in the process. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_631399c1 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6331ba26 | type |
Plot Hole | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6331ba26 | comment |
Plot Hole: The film never really makes a distinction about how much more intelligent the rats are than other animals, aside from the obvious results of scientific progress and the self consciousness of humanlike responsibility shifted onto them. The other animals are clearly capable of communication, rational thought and thinking skills like decision making and deductive reasoning. Did the injection simply give the rats a bigger idea of comprehension than the other animals? Why is it that Mrs. Shrew recommends Mrs. Brisby see the Great Owl when Mr. Ages makes it clear that no one else has seen the Great Owl and lived to tell about it? How would she have known If he was wise, or if it was even sensible to ask for his help if he had that kind of reputation? | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_64070096 | type |
Cowardly Lion | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_64070096 | comment |
Cowardly Lion: Mrs. Brisby, though willing to do anything to save her family, never loses her meek and fearful disposition. The plot tells us she has "courage of the heart." Doubling as a Cowardly Sidekick, Jeremy, even if most of his acts of bravery are usually in vain due to being equally bumbling and dim-witted. That said, the guy directly attacks Dragon to protect Mrs. Brisby and retrieves Timmy's medicine from the scuffle (everyone is terrified of Dragon). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6411dac8 | type |
BadassNormal | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6411dac8 | comment |
Badass Normal: Though the rats are no less frightened of Dragon than are the mice, rats are too large to get into the house to drug him, leaving the mice to do it. Jonathan dies in one attempt (in his defense, he also did it countless nights for four years before finally being caught), and Mr. Ages breaks a leg in a subsequent one. Both are genetically modified, but Mrs. Brisby is the one who succeeds with just a scratch. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6411dac8 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_647ce68 | type |
Family-Unfriendly Violence | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_647ce68 | comment |
Family-Unfriendly Violence: There's the owl causally devour a still-living insect, Mrs. Brisby's cut (hey, it's a G-rated movie, any blood is gore), two characters stabbed, and some rather graphic depictions of animal experimentation, even if only for a few seconds. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_647ce68 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_64f3ea6e | type |
Disneyfication | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_64f3ea6e | comment |
Disneyfication: Played with. While the movie has some traditional changes from the original book (eg. more whimsical and slapstick-esque characterization and dialogue), some aspects are actually darker compared to its original material. The death count of pivotal characters is higher in the movie, for example. Mrs. Brisby goes through much more hardship than in the book, but this allows more emphasis on the power of courage and love. The theme was absent in the original book in favour of a greater focus on the rats' responsibility to stop stealing (which was itself mentioned in the film, although it was more about the moral issues of stealing rather than the practical ones). | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_64f3ea6e | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_65332328 | type |
Mind-Control Eyes | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_65332328 | comment |
Mind-Control Eyes: Jeremy after glancing at Mrs. Brisby's "sparkly" in the original. It's far more then just your average sparkly, and he picks up on it, though of course, neither understand why...at the time. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_65332328 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_66755d29 | type |
Author Avatar | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_66755d29 | comment |
In the book, Mrs. Frisby is more of an Author Avatar and her story is nothing more than an excuse for the reader to hear the story of the rats of NIMH. The movie shifts the focus almost entirely to her and her valiant efforts to save her dying son. note To give an idea of how little her story affects the rats, in the book, Timothy could go outside despite his pneumonia, albeit bundled up. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6a696742 | type |
The Power of Love | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6a696742 | comment |
The Power of Love: "You can unlock any door, if you only have the key." According to Paul Williams' Theme Song Flying Dreams, "Love is the key." | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6a696742 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Name: Farmer Fitzgibbon, as in "son of an ape". Not helped by the fact that the prefix "fitz" was, in medieval times, widely used for the surnames of acknowledged illegitimate children - thus making it into "bastard son of an ape," which is far more insulting, when you think about it. Justin means "just or righteous." Jenner means "cunning or contriver." Jeremy means "the lord loosens or god will uplift." Nicodemus means "victory of the people." | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6bda9a30 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6c3f8ca8 | type |
Drama Queen | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6c3f8ca8 | comment |
"Auntie" Shrew. She is first introduced as a pish-posh busybody who walks around with an incredible air of self-importance, but she soon demonstrates great bravery by warning all the animals about the plow and rescuing Mrs. Brisby from the tractor. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_6c3f8ca8 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6fbe85e6 | type |
Adaptation Personality Change | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_6fbe85e6 | comment |
Adaptation Personality Change: Jeremy is a comic relief character in the film and his traits are more Played for Laughs, unlike in the book where he was more of a 'naïve' character. He also becomes a Cloudcuckoolander and a Butt-Monkey. A few years after the film's release, the original author's daughter Jane Leslie Conly wrote two sequels which incorporated Jeremy's more absent-minded personality. In the film, Jenner is an Obviously Evil villain, while his book counterpart was an average character. Mr. Ages is portrayed as a Grumpy Old Man with a Hidden Heart of Gold rather than a more kindly character. In the book, Nicodemus was just an average middle-aged rat with an eyepatch (who happened to be the leader). In the movie he's an ancient mystical seer. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_71268450 | type |
Adaptation Title Change | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_71268450 | comment |
Adaptation Title Change: The Secret of NIMH was based on a novel called Mrs Frisby and The Rats of NIMH. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_73f38fe0 | type |
LEGO Genetics | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_73f38fe0 | comment |
LEGO Genetics: An odd injection is enough to completely alter the rats' DNA and make them intelligent enough to do things like reading and building advanced scientific equipment, in addition to giving them abnormally long life spans. In real life, an injection that huge would be more likely give them heart failure than make them smarter. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_73f38fe0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7453bc5b | type |
Spared by the Adaptation | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7453bc5b | comment |
Spared by the Adaptation: Justin, who becomes the leader of the rats after Nicodemus' death. Justin supposedly died in the novel by getting poisoned by NIMH. He gets better in the book's sequel. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_7453bc5b | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_762b9223 | type |
Played for Laughs | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_762b9223 | comment |
Jeremy is a comic relief character in the film and his traits are more Played for Laughs, unlike in the book where he was more of a 'naïve' character. He also becomes a Cloudcuckoolander and a Butt-Monkey. A few years after the film's release, the original author's daughter Jane Leslie Conly wrote two sequels which incorporated Jeremy's more absent-minded personality. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_762b9223 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7870735b | type |
From Bad to Worse | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7870735b | comment |
This in turn gets Mrs. Brisby wrapped in another source of conflict. Jenner tries to sabotage the rats' moving plans by murdering Nicodemus in a staged accident while they're moving Mrs. Brisby's house, so in turn he can usurp leadership of the rats of NIMH. And then once he sees Mrs. Brisby has the stone Nicodemus gives her, he changes his motive on a whim and tries to kill her to get it. | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7870735b | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_794f3589 | type |
Adaptation Explanation Extrication | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_794f3589 | comment |
Adaptation Explanation Extrication: The sequence in the book where the rats are taught how to read is overlooked in the film, making it look like the injections alone gave them the ability. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_794f3589 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7c0bfb83 | type |
Obviously Evil | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7c0bfb83 | comment |
Obviously Evil: Jenner wears an Ominous Opera Cape, with Big Ol' Eyebrows that he's constantly arching, and has a long goatee. He may as well walk around wearing a sign around his neck saying "Evil Megalomaniac." | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_7c0bfb83 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7ef728b1 | type |
Tsundere | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_7ef728b1 | comment |
Tsundere: Only a short period in the company of Jeremy can turn even sweet Mrs. Brisby into an irritable snark. Even on the rare occasions Jeremy isn't causing trouble for her, she is unusually condescending and dismissive towards him. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_7ef728b1 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8173ce7b | type |
Amulet of Concentrated Awesome | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8173ce7b | comment |
Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The amulet Nicodemus gives Mrs. Brisby. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8173ce7b | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_8173ce7b | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_823c6e3e | type |
Large Ham | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_823c6e3e | comment |
Large Ham: Mrs. Shrew seemed to think she was in a perpetual Shakespearean play, Trrrilling Rrrs and all. Jenner as well: "...and the WEIGHT of it will CRUSH his BONES!" | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_823c6e3e | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_82d2715f | type |
Magitek | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_82d2715f | comment |
Magitek: The rats' technology is human artifacts, mixed with Nicodemus' technomagery. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_82d2715f | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_84d8cbdf | type |
Flirty Voice Ploy | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_84d8cbdf | comment |
Flirty Voice Ploy: When Mrs. Brisby is trying to sneak into the rose bush, Jeremy is drawing attention to her. When he says that if something bad were to happen to her, her children would be left alone, she gets an idea. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_84d8cbdf | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_84d8cbdf | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_875615dd | type |
Truth in Television | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_875615dd | comment |
Truth in Television: The research lab the rats and mice break out of is based off the real-life National Institutes of Health Building 10◊, the largest hospital in the U.S., where all their clinical trials (and many animal labs) are located. The picture shows about a quarter of the building and it's as big as a city block, and people get lost in there routinely. Try to imagine escaping from a building that size if you are a rat or mouse... In actuality, almost everything that appears in the movie from the Interspecies Friendships to the rather smart intelligence of animals to the cooperation of two different species has actually been observed and recorded both in captivity and in the wild, though the chances of it being seen and recorded is incredibly rare. In fact, the only thing that is blatantly untrue in this movie is the anthropomorphic shape of the animals. Well... that and the magic. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_875615dd | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8b568cb7 | type |
Posthumous Character | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8b568cb7 | comment |
Posthumous Character: Jonathan Brisby. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_8b568cb7 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8c00901a | type |
Creepy Good | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_8c00901a | comment |
Creepy Good: The Great Owl is terrifying, but also helpful. Similarly, Brutus' initial appearance when Mrs. Brisby meets him is scary, but when she runs into Mr. Ages, he just dismissively clarifies Brutus is just a regular guard that Brisby had the misfortune of meeting when he was on-duty and without Ages to speak on her behalf. Nicodemus establishes himself as this in the film's opening scene: he appears to be using magic to write in his journal, his hands are shivelled and warty, he has claws that are both sharp and long, and his eyes are glowing yellow. But his every movement and every word out of his mouth is gentle, and thoughout the film he makes it clear he wants to help Mrs. Brisby save her home and family. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_8c00901a | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_904f86a7 | type |
Enigmatic Institute | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_904f86a7 | comment |
Enigmatic Institute: NIMH (Which is a real scientific organization) is portrayed in a mysterious, but mostly negative light here because the movie focuses on the rats and mice that NIMH experimented on. Not much is shown of the scientists, but they injected the rodents with a serum that caused them to gain human levels of intelligence. The rodents escaped NIMH because they were horribly mistreated. Some agents from NIMH later try to track down the rats, prompting them to leave the farm where they had been living to find a new home. | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_904f86a7 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_92d6af50 | type |
Truck Driver's Gear Change | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_92d6af50 | comment |
Truck Driver's Gear Change: "Flying Dreams", the theme of the film, has a very loose, undefined lyrical structure, so it's roughly: Verse in C, bridge up to A#, chorus back down to C, instrumental break in C — and then the second iteration of the bridge modulates a full step down to B major before finishing in C. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_92d6af50 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_957e5fc2 | type |
Villainous Breakdown | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_957e5fc2 | comment |
Villainous Breakdown: Jenner spends most of his time in the film being a Faux Affably Evil Smug Snake. When it looks like his plans have come to fruition near the end once Nicodemus is dead, Mrs. Brisby comes to warn the rats of their impending demise at the hands of NIMH. Jenner is so frustrated that he loses all semblance of civility and attacks her, trying to take the amulet and then engages in a feral swordfight with Justin, freely admitting his part in trying to stop the plan. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_957e5fc2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_95b7c400 | type |
Faux Affably Evil | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_95b7c400 | comment |
Faux Affably Evil: Jenner is possessed of a singular charm and charisma that makes it easy to see how he manipulates others around him. However, almost all of his charm and courtesy towards others is solely to meet his ends, and when things start to turn against him he devolves into a feral creature, and there is no one he won't kill in cold blood to keep his plan in motion. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_95b7c400 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97402fc2 | type |
Won't Do Your Dirty Work | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97402fc2 | comment |
Won't Do Your Dirty Work: Sullivan. But he only drops out of Jenner's plan at the very last minute, with a much less defiant attitude than most examples. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_97402fc2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97928805 | type |
Barefoot Cartoon Animal | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97928805 | comment |
Barefoot Cartoon Animal: Most of the rats, with Nicodemus as The One Who Wears Shoes. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_97928805 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97fa0a10 | type |
Mass "Oh, Crap!" | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_97fa0a10 | comment |
Mass "Oh, Crap!": Everyone present when the Brisby home starts sinking in the mud. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_97fa0a10 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_98576799 | type |
Throw the Dog a Bone | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_98576799 | comment |
Throw the Dog a Bone: After all the comedic abuse he suffers throughout the film, Jeremy finally gets his "Miss Right", who's conveniently just as clumsy and dippy as he is. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_98576799 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_98c2a8f2 | type |
Humans Are Cthulhu | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_98c2a8f2 | comment |
Humans Are Cthulhu: Humanity does seem pretty Cthulhuish in several respects here. In particular, the rats of NIMH are understandably terrified of what humans would do if they found a society of transgenic sentients living in a rosebush in some farmer's front lawn. Makes more sense in the context of Heroic Fantasy, above. | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_98c2a8f2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9abe931d | type |
Quicksand Sucks | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9abe931d | comment |
Quicksand Sucks: And by quicksand, we mean mud. A house made from a cinder block is disposed of like this after being dropped by crane onto Nicodemus. As a murder weapon. The residents are also still inside. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9abe931d | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9abe931d | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9afa05c7 | type |
Family-Unfriendly Death | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9afa05c7 | comment |
Family-Unfriendly Death: Jenner slashing Sullivan across his chest with his sword is startling even to adults. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9afa05c7 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9afa05c7 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b06e314 | type |
Greater-Scope Villain | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b06e314 | comment |
Greater-Scope Villain: The NIMH institute. Though they play a large role in how the rats of NIMH came to be, they are largely divorced from the events of the movie proper. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b06e314 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b06e314 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b0f37de | type |
Contemplate Our Navels | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b0f37de | comment |
Contemplate Our Navels: The Rats of NIMH have this problem going for them. With their newfound comprehension and intelligence gained from NIMH's experiments on them, they believe they have to own up to a newfound responsibility of using it as a result, hence why they try to move on from stealing from humans and on to Thorn Valley in order to become self sufficient. | |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9b0f37de | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9be7c205 | type |
Giant Spider | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9be7c205 | comment |
Giant Spider: A spider appears in the Great Owl's lair. Being massive, from Mrs. Brisby's perspective, it's a real threat to her before being crushed to a pulp by the owl. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9be7c205 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9be7c205 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9de2bf95 | type |
Filler | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9de2bf95 | comment |
Filler: Most of Jeremy's scenes contribute nothing to the main plotlines or subplots, and just serve as comic relief. The only points where his actions are really plot relevant include saving Mrs. Brisby (and the medicine she got for Timmy) from Dragon, and flying her to the Great Owl. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9de2bf95 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9de2bf95 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9de2bf95 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9f037665 | type |
Quit Your Whining | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9f037665 | comment |
Quit Your Whining: Auntie Shrew uses this as a way to get Mrs. Brisby to pull herself together after her near-fatal incident with the plow: | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9f037665 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9f037665 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9fb5d589 | type |
Not Now, Kiddo | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9fb5d589 | comment |
Not Now, Kiddo: Auntie Shrew won't listen to the youngest Brisby child when she tries to tell her that her brother is sick. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9fb5d589 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9fb5d589 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_9fb5d589 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a07afea2 | type |
Random Events Plot | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a07afea2 | comment |
Random Events Plot: Don intentionally structured and paced the film like a novel more than a standard animated movie, believing it allowed more subtext to be incorporated into the film. The plot starts off fairly straightforward (Mrs. Brisby is coping with the loss of her husband and has to save her sick kid from harm) with some backstory foreshadowed a couple times and having a very minor subplot of Jeremy the Crow trying to find a love interest. Half an hour into the film, when Mrs. Brisby enters the rose bush and finds the Rats of NIMH, the film veers way off the main plot and into a grand total of four other plots, largely consisting of subplots and backstory: the Rats coming to terms with their newfound intelligence and responsibilities, Nicodemus helping Mrs. Brisby out of obligation and coping with the rats situation, Jenner trying to stage a coup to upsurp power, and NIMH trying to seek out and destroy the rats. This half is practically its own self contained story, and has little relevance to the main conflict other than the additional problems they unwittingly bring in—the only thing that directly ties them into it is that Mrs. Brisby was related to one of their own kind, Jonathan, and gets their help solely because of that). Throw in some unexplained loose ends (just where did Nicodemus get that amulet or those magic powers?) and the plot can ultimately feel rather disjointed. Much of this was a result of changes from the book, namely playing up Mrs. Brisby's role in the story (the Rats were the central characters of the novel, with Mrs. Brisby being a vehicle for the audience), adding magical fantasy elements (Nicodemus had none of his supernatural powers in the book), and upgrading a minor character (Jenner) into the villain (the book had no real antagonist). | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a07afea2 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_a07afea2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a07afea2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a1154544 | type |
Grumpy Old Man | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a1154544 | comment |
Grumpy Old Man: Mr. Ages is an abrasive misanthrope, but his heart is very much in the right place. Auntie Shrew who is a grumpy old woman herself, even refers to him as "that old flim-flam." | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a1154544 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_a1154544 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a1154544 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a20386a2 | type |
Serious Work, Comedic Scene | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a20386a2 | comment |
Serious Work, Comedic Scene: This is about mother mouse trying to find a way to save her pneumonia-ridden son and the rest of her family before the farmer's plow comes and destroys their home. There are moments of magic, epic sword fights, betrayal, and murder. There's also: Jeremy the Crow, voiced by Dom De Luise, a comic-relief character who fancies himself a lady's man, but is actually just a bumbling mess who manages to get himself captured in his own yarn collection twice in the film, once when he meets Mrs. Brisby and once when he was captured by her children and Auntie Shrew. Justin, one of the titular rats, displays a subtle and clever sense of humor when they walk into the council room to hear Jenner ranting. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a20386a2 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_a20386a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a20386a2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a236dd4c | type |
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a236dd4c | comment |
Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The Brisby family. Most of the rats as well. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a236dd4c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a236dd4c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a236dd4c | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3eae597 | type |
Award-Bait Song | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3eae597 | comment |
Award-Bait Song: "Flying Dreams", the theme of the film, is an emotional song about how "love is the key." | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3eae597 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3eae597 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3eae597 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3f6fcb0 | type |
Action Mom | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3f6fcb0 | comment |
Action Mom: Mrs. Brisby is an interesting example of this trope, as she is only doing what she does to protect her children ("Timothy... remember Timothy!") It is certainly not because she enjoys adventure or action. In fact, the film clearly shows that she's scared out of her mind by the tasks she must do, but she is still courageous enough to pull through, especially when the action really gets going. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3f6fcb0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3f6fcb0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a3f6fcb0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a5ea1f61 | type |
Ominous Opera Cape | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a5ea1f61 | comment |
Ominous Opera Cape: Jenner, and he uses it for an impressive Cape Swish. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a5ea1f61 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a5ea1f61 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a5ea1f61 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a65288e2 | type |
Ascended Extra | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a65288e2 | comment |
Ascended Extra: In the book, Mrs. Frisby is more of an Author Avatar and her story is nothing more than an excuse for the reader to hear the story of the rats of NIMH. The movie shifts the focus almost entirely to her and her valiant efforts to save her dying son. note To give an idea of how little her story affects the rats, in the book, Timothy could go outside despite his pneumonia, albeit bundled up. Jeremy, though a lot of his relevance to the main story diminishes after his role portrayed in the book. Jenner is promoted to a plot antagonist while in the book he only appears in the backstory. Sullivan. In the novel, he had an important but tiny role - he appears in one scene with one line of dialogue (to suggest stealing power from the farm), and that's it. Auntie Shrew becomes a babysitter for the Brisby children in the film. She is merely referred to as "the shrew" in the novel. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a65288e2 | featureApplicability |
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The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a65288e2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a8298592 | type |
Mouse World | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a8298592 | comment |
Mouse World: Several, designed by the rats and mice of NIMH. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a8298592 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a8298592 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a8298592 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a971e83c | type |
Hidden Elf Village | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a971e83c | comment |
The rats as a powerful Hidden Elf Kingdom, complete with court intrigue, which the poor peasant girl quickly finds herself a pawn of... | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a971e83c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a971e83c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a971e83c | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a9de87d2 | type |
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a9de87d2 | comment |
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Jeremy spends most of the film irritating the other protagonists with his clumsy behaviour. However, he is a graceful flyer and counts as the only character to outright attack Dragon to save Mrs Brisby. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a9de87d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a9de87d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_a9de87d2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ad1db87c | type |
Oh, Crap! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ad1db87c | comment |
The rats of NIMH who live in the rosebush are this to some of the woodland creatures, especially Auntie Shrew. The same Auntie Shrew who single-handedly faces down a tractor and wins, later tells Mrs. Brisby to show courage in asking an owl for help, and captures and ties up a crow, visibly panics at the sound of the rats arriving. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ad1db87c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ad1db87c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ad1db87c | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_adb98918 | type |
All-Powerful Bystander | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_adb98918 | comment |
All-Powerful Bystander: Nicodemus is quite adept at scrying and can see Mrs. Brisby's dilemma and is ready to help her before she even goes to consult the Great Owl. Why he doesn't just save time by sending for her immediately is never addressed in the film, but Don Bluth explained in an interview that he's trying to help her grow. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_adb98918 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_adb98918 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_adb98918 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_aea164f3 | type |
Playing with Syringes | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_aea164f3 | comment |
Playing with Syringes: The scenes set within NIMH; twenty rats and eleven mice were given injections that enhanced their intelligence to human levels(if not superhuman QED Nicodemus' techno-sorcery devices) and extended their lifespans. They promptly broke out and built their own Hidden Elf Village. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_aea164f3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_aea164f3 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_af98d5da | type |
Thieving Magpie | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_af98d5da | comment |
Thieving Magpie: Jeremy the Crow can't resist "sparklies." | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_af98d5da | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_af98d5da | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_af98d5da | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b01abe4f | type |
Catchphrase | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b01abe4f | comment |
Catchphrase: "Scuse me, pardon me" seems to be Jeremy's favorite words. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b01abe4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b01abe4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b01abe4f | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b1efb7a7 | type |
Mayfly–December Romance | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b1efb7a7 | comment |
Mayfly–December Romance: Nicodemus tells Mrs. Brisby that if Jonathan hadn't been killed by Dragon, he probably would've outlived her by quite some time. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b1efb7a7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b1efb7a7 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b23e7ba9 | type |
Real Is Brown | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b23e7ba9 | comment |
Real Is Brown: The film relies on this grungy aesthetic to fit its generally serious tone. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b23e7ba9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b23e7ba9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b23e7ba9 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b2e9c33f | type |
Magical Accessory | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b2e9c33f | comment |
Magical Accessory: Mrs. Brisby wears The Stone as a pendant. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b2e9c33f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b2e9c33f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b2e9c33f | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b5785433 | type |
ColdOpen | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b5785433 | comment |
Cold Open: The film starts with Nicodemus recording in his book about the death of Jonathan Brisby, and putting away a red medallion while talking to Jon in spirit. Obviously, this proves to be important later. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b5785433 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b5785433 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b5785433 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b58b7975 | type |
Kindhearted Simpleton | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b58b7975 | comment |
Kindhearted Simpleton: Jeremy means well, but his denseness usually does more harm than good. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b58b7975 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b58b7975 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b58b7975 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b7bc7d28 | type |
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b7bc7d28 | comment |
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Jeremy the Crow can't resist "sparklies." Drifts into I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin! territory when Jeremy says with a touch of darkness, "You know, I've always wanted a sparkly of my very own" while leering / menacing over Mrs. Brisby. It makes sense considering the common and now discredited myth that corvids are attracted to shiny objects. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b7bc7d28 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b7bc7d28 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b7bc7d28 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b8e69f30 | type |
Predation Is Natural | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b8e69f30 | comment |
Predation Is Natural: Averted and played straight. Averted in Dragon, a cat who killed Brisby's husband, who is an animalistic monster who only speaks in roars and seeks nothing but to eat the helpless protagonists. Played straight in the Great Owl, who explicitly eats mice but is cordial enough (And more importantly, already fed enough) to speak to Brisby without trying anything. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b8e69f30 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b8e69f30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_b8e69f30 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_bcbf7aef | type |
Plucky Comic Relief | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_bcbf7aef | comment |
Plucky Comic Relief: Jeremy. And given how dark this film is, his comic relief is very much needed.. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_bcbf7aef | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_bcbf7aef | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_bcbf7aef | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c0d598fe | type |
Evil Gloating | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c0d598fe | comment |
Evil Gloating: After murdering Nicodemus, Jenner cannot resist spilling the beans about it as soon as Justin figures it out and accuses him. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c0d598fe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c0d598fe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c0d598fe | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c34e1530 | type |
Sneeze Interruption | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c34e1530 | comment |
Sneeze Interruption: Jeremy tries to explain that he knew all along that it was a rabbit behind him rather than Dragon the cat as he's allergic to cats, but then he sneezes and Dragon comes. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c34e1530 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c34e1530 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c34e1530 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: Mrs. Brisby raising her house with the medallion at the end, at least how its visually presented, is very likely a homage to Yoda using the Force to raise Luke's X-Wing in The Empire Strikes Back. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c75df49a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_c75df49a | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ce3f50f0 | type |
Clever Crows | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ce3f50f0 | comment |
Clever Crows: This trope is inverted, with Jeremy being a rare dumbass corvid. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ce3f50f0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ce3f50f0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ce3f50f0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0a46264 | type |
Red Filter of Doom | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0a46264 | comment |
Red Filter of Doom: The red filter appears during Brisby's encounter with Brutus, immediately after he stabs his spear into the ground to scare her off. Also much of the fight between Justin and Jenner is filmed/animated in reddish hues. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0a46264 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0a46264 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0a46264 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0c9634e | type |
Animals Not to Scale | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0c9634e | comment |
Animals Not to Scale: Dragon is a little too big for even a good-sized housecat, being closer in size to an almost medium-sized dog. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0c9634e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0c9634e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d0c9634e | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d112f7ec | type |
"Oh, Crap!" Smile | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d112f7ec | comment |
"Oh, Crap!" Smile: Jeremy flashes one of these (with teeth, no less!) after he sneezes in Dragon's face. Dragon is not amused. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d112f7ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d112f7ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d112f7ec | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d2b59903 | type |
Cool Old Lady | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d2b59903 | comment |
Cool Old Lady: Auntie Shrew is a bossy old Drama Queen, but when necessary she is an absolute badass, shutting down a tractor single-handedly. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d2b59903 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d2b59903 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d2b59903 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d46ddfa2 | type |
CloudCuckooLander | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d46ddfa2 | comment |
Jeremy as the helpful but bumbling village idiot and Cloud Cuckoolandernote (Any crow flock would certainly consider him an idiot!) | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d46ddfa2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d46ddfa2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d46ddfa2 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4c98786 | type |
Writing Around Trademarks | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4c98786 | comment |
Writing Around Trademarks: Late in production, concerns arose that the name "Frisby" would land them in legal trouble with the makers of the Frisbee toy. Many of the voice actors returned to the studio for additional ADR work in order to replace every instance of the name "Frisby" in the film with "Brisby". Only Elizabeth Hartman and John Carradine—the actors for said character and the Great Owl—could not, so their lines were mechanically edited. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4c98786 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4c98786 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4c98786 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4df1797 | type |
Cowardly Sidekick | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4df1797 | comment |
Doubling as a Cowardly Sidekick, Jeremy, even if most of his acts of bravery are usually in vain due to being equally bumbling and dim-witted. That said, the guy directly attacks Dragon to protect Mrs. Brisby and retrieves Timmy's medicine from the scuffle (everyone is terrified of Dragon). | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4df1797 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4df1797 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d4df1797 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d7fc9fd0 | type |
Vitriolic Best Buds | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d7fc9fd0 | comment |
Vitriolic Best Buds: Jeremy gains a strong liking and responsibility to help Mrs. Brisby throughout her turmoils. Mrs. Brisby on the other hand is more along trying desperately to brush the clingy nuisance off her back (in a progressively less gentle manner). She does seem to like him when he isn't causing trouble for her, however. | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d7fc9fd0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d7fc9fd0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Secret of NIMH | hasFeature |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d7fc9fd0 | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d99add77 | type |
Symbolic Weapon Discarding | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d99add77 | comment |
Symbolic Weapon Discarding: Justin and Jenner fight a duel with swords that leaves Jenner with a punctured lung. Having no stomach for continuing the fight, Justin throws down his sword and begins a speech to his fellow rats to complete the dream of Nicodemus and relocate to Thorn Valley. This shows Justin prefers to lead with reason and passion, rather than with force and guile. | |
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Screw This, I'm Outta Here | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_d9cf40fa | comment |
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Sullivan, despite threats from Jenner, ultimately refuses to play part in murdering Nicodemus. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_dc057cf3 | type |
Adaptation Name Change | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_dc057cf3 | comment |
Adaptation Name Change: The Frisby family becomes the Brisby family, due to fears of legal trouble with the makers of the Frisbee toy. This change actually occurred mid-production, necessitating the re-recording of several lines of dialogue and even some audio editing. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_dcb9c541 | type |
Ship Tease | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_dcb9c541 | comment |
Ship Tease: Justin and Mrs. Brisby flirt a bit over the course of the movie, but both have more important things on their minds. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_dda12cb3 | type |
Cat Scare | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_dda12cb3 | comment |
Cat Scare: A rabbit is used instead. The cat is the monster. After all, the protagonists are a mouse and a bird. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_dec54a8c | type |
Avoid the Dreaded G Rating | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_dec54a8c | comment |
Avoid the Dreaded G Rating: Don Bluth and company attempted to get the film a PG rating to have it appeal to a larger audience (the film definitely isn't very kid-friendly): there was a superfluous (though understandable given the circumstances) "Damn!" spoken by Justin, several on-screen deaths, visible blood, and a fair amount of nightmare-fueling scenes. For reasons beyond all understanding, the MPAA still gave them a G. One would almost have to assume they didn't bother to watch it. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e11b003d | type |
Translation Convention | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e11b003d | comment |
Translation Convention: In an interesting variation, Dragon's meows are rendered (except in a brief scene centered on the humans) as horrific, dragony roars to reflect that, as far as his prey is concerned, he lives up to his name. In the scene when Mrs. Brisby is imprisoned in the cage, and Mrs. Fitzgibbon goes to let Dragon in the back door, we hear him make perfectly normal feline meows. Like the scene where she's hanging the laundry, this moment is shown from more of an omniscient viewpoint than Mrs. Brisby's first-person angle, suggesting we're not seeing things from a mouse POV anymore. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e13156e1 | type |
Mama Bear | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e13156e1 | comment |
Mama Bear: Not as violent as standard examples, but any mouse (especially a semi-anthropomorphic one) who'll enter the dark spooky lair of one of her natural predators, in order to save her children, deserves a mention. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e2088a08 | type |
Subtext | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e2088a08 | comment |
Sub Text: In an interview, Don said he put numerous subtle messages throughout NIMH that you can find with each different viewing. In the section about NIMH in Don Bluth's biography, animator John Pomeroy talks about the film's subtleties, even going as far as pointing out the implication that the Rats of NIMH possibly never truly existed. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e28f88b8 | type |
Last-Name Basis | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e28f88b8 | comment |
Last-Name Basis: Mrs. Brisby is never referred to as anything other than Mrs. Brisby. The closest they get to giving her a first name is calling her Mrs. Jonathan Brisby, but that's referring to her husband.note Per Word of God her first name is Elizabeth in posthumous honor of Elizabeth Hartman, her late voice actress. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e37f19 | type |
Disguised in Drag | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e37f19 | comment |
Disguised in Drag: Played With. Jeremy, while helping Mrs. Brisby reach the rosebush to find the rats, decides it'd be a great idea to disguise himself by sneaking around inside a pair of ladies' bloomers. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e453ef50 | type |
Crystal Ball | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e453ef50 | comment |
Crystal Ball: Essentially, Nicodemus' whirling bronze portal-thing, which allows him to scry on others from a great distance. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e54227fc | type |
Gasp! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e54227fc | comment |
Gasp!: Brisby does this when she sees bones from the Great Owl's previous kills falling after she slips on some. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e8760868 | type |
Space Whale Aesop | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e8760868 | comment |
Space Whale Aesop: If you can find courage and the initiative to take things into your own hands, you can harness the power of a magic amulet to raise your house into the air. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_e8dcd1c0 | type |
Four Lines, All Waiting | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_e8dcd1c0 | comment |
Four Lines, All Waiting: There are at least six ongoing plots tied together in the original film: The main focus of the film is Mrs. Brisby trying to save her children from the farmer's plow—her son Timothy is bedridden and ill, and she can't risk taking him out of their house without making his illness worse. On top of that, she's coping with the death of her husband at the hands of Dragon, the farmer's cat. Both of these get her wrapped up in several other incidents along the way, including... The rats of NIMH trying to come to terms with their newfound intelligence and responsibilities and planning to leave for Thorn Valley instead of pilfering off human resources in secret. Mrs. Brisby's husband was one of them and helped them escape NIMH (and sacrificed his life trying to drug Dragon for the other rats), so the Great Owl sends Mrs. Brisby to them for their aid in saving her children. Curiously, while their newfound intelligence provides an interesting backstory, it actually doesn't have that much relevance to the film's main plot other than providing another source of conflict, and other than going through with the plan to move, it doesn't really get resolved. Nicodemus coming to terms with both the rats' situation (and the internal conflicts going on between them) and Jonathan Brisby's death, eventually aiding Mrs. Brisby by giving her the Stone amulet per Jonathan's request. Nicodemus also has peculiar abilities that seem supernatural, and the film never elaborates on how he acquired these abilities, or where the Stone came from. This in turn gets Mrs. Brisby wrapped in another source of conflict. Jenner tries to sabotage the rats' moving plans by murdering Nicodemus in a staged accident while they're moving Mrs. Brisby's house, so in turn he can usurp leadership of the rats of NIMH. And then once he sees Mrs. Brisby has the stone Nicodemus gives her, he changes his motive on a whim and tries to kill her to get it. The farmer interacting with people from NIMH who are searching for the rats and plan to destroy them Surprisingly, the sequel directly followed up on this plot thread. Jeremy the crow trying to find a love interest and dealing with Brisby's kids and Auntie Shrew later on. This one gets the least attention out of the plots and has the least bearing on the film, as Jeremy just serves as comic relief. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_ebb3c390 | type |
Crash-Into Hello | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ebb3c390 | comment |
Crash-Into Hello/Meet Cute: At the end, Jeremy meets the true love he’s been searching for the whole movie when she collides into him at full speed. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_ee4286cd | type |
Leave Him to Me! | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ee4286cd | comment |
Leave Him to Me!: Jenner pulls this, as he wants to crush Nicodemus under a hoisting crane. Oddly, this is done as a murder plot and not (as it usually is) during a heated battle. He also says this word-for-word when Sullivan asks him what to do about Justin. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_efc1d647 | type |
Never a Self-Made Woman | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_efc1d647 | comment |
Never a Self-Made Woman: Mrs. Brisby would not have gotten any help for her situation if she wasn't "Mrs. Jonathan Brisby". | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f00fce0e | type |
Resourceful Rodent | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f00fce0e | comment |
Resourceful Rodent: The rats of NIMH are able to read as a result of the experiments scientists conducted on them. They also know how to work technology. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f0fe7e80 | type |
But Now I Must Go | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f0fe7e80 | comment |
But Now I Must Go: In the first movie, Justin & the rats leave Mrs. Brisby for Thorn Valley. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f27ec906 | type |
Identical Stranger | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f27ec906 | comment |
Identical Stranger: Despite being different species and knowing each other, Nicodemus and the Great Owl have the same glowing eyes, same big eyebrows and same-length moustaches. See picture above. Don Bluth mentioned in two interviews that they're actually the same person who is changing forms. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f42f96fa | type |
Would Hit a Girl | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f42f96fa | comment |
Would Hit a Girl: Near the end, Jenner smacks Mrs. Brisby out of the way when she tries to warn the rats that NIMH is coming. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f6f2ff1 | type |
Insult Backfire | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f6f2ff1 | comment |
Insult Backfire: Well, as insulting as Mrs. Brisby can get, anyway. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f9671119 | type |
Death Equals Redemption | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f9671119 | comment |
Death Equals Redemption: Sullivan, who after being slashed across the chest by Jenner, uses his last breath to throw a knife in Jenner's back as he prepares to kill Justin. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f97b5d33 | type |
Shoo Out the Clowns | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f97b5d33 | comment |
Shoo Out the Clowns: Jeremy more or less disappears halfway through until the main climax is over. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_f9f2c33 | type |
Running Gag | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_f9f2c33 | comment |
Also, Dragon. Only a bastard son of an ape would give their pet that name. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_fa8e599c | type |
Eyelash Fluttering | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_fa8e599c | comment |
Eyelash Fluttering: Mrs. Brisby combines fluttering eyelashes with a Flirty Voice Ploy to send Jeremy away by suggesting he watch her children instead of assisting her in her search for the entrance to the rosebush. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_fbba5e98 | type |
Gadgeteer Genius | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_fbba5e98 | comment |
Mr. Ages as the grumpy local apothecary (and Gadgeteer Genius) with a hidden past and friends in very high places... | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_fccd06b6 | type |
Beware the Nice Ones | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_fccd06b6 | comment |
Beware the Nice Ones: Jeremy's buffoonery becomes so aggravating that even Mrs. Brisby is getting blatantly pissed off with him as the film continues. In a less temperamental case, she proves downright resilient in her goals to protect her family despite her meekness. | |
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The Secret of NIMH / int_ffad4e9f | type |
Shown Their Work | |
The Secret of NIMH / int_ffad4e9f | comment |
Shown Their Work: If you look carefully during the owl scene, you can see that the owl has zygodactyl talons (two toes in front and two in back) like real owls do. | |
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The Secret of NIMH |
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