Awash with the like of Blippi, Veggie Tales, and Super Truck (to name a few
items that have blared on our television in the last 24 hours), I had - on a
night not too long ago - had enough of it and steeled myself to find a
program, a show or film, that would keep the boys' interest but would also not
feel like a punishment as it related to my own. Thinking back - then - to
films that held my attention as a child, films that I remembered for their
quality and for their critical acclaim: quality, first, as if a toddler me
would like it, so likewise might a toddler they; but critically, second,
because if reviewers liked it - then surely, they were adults (like I pretend
to be) when they wrote their reviews. Thereafter - scanning through free-to-me
streaming options, bypassing several gems that I would have had to pay for - I
found myself pleasantly surprised to find a version,
free-with-ads on the Tubi app, of Don Bluth's 1982 classic: The Secret of NIMH.
N-Spiration: The Secret of NIMH
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The Secret of NIMH theatrical poster sourced from
BlackGate.com |
About the Film
The Secret of NIMH, released on July 16, 1982, based on the book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, and starring a wide cast of characters including Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby (renamed to avoid a lawsuit over the Frisbee disc toy owned by Wham-O Inc.), Dom DeLuise providing air support, Shannen Doherty and Wil Wheaton playing siblings, Peter Strauss, and John Carradine, follows the story of a mouse mother attempting to save her family from both illness and man. Specifically, one man - the farmer - who doesn't truthfully know of the plight going on beneath his field: but that's neither here nor there.
Apart from its financial disappointments - MGM having released it in 90% fewer theaters than the financiers had expected - and its critical acclaim (harboring 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, as of this writing, and an 85% audience score with over 5,000 rating; and with a double-positive rating from Siskel and Ebert following its release and its win of Best Animated Film at the 10th annual Saturn Awards in 1982) - The Secret of NIMH is likely most known for the absolutely and unmistakably phenomenal art and animation on the film - and the prodigious budget and effort required to get it there.
The goal of the studio in the production of The Secret of NIMH was to reproduce the golden era of Disney animation - though Disney had passed on producing the film. The primary protagonist - Mrs. Brisby - reportedly had 46 different color palettes, representing different lighting situations called for in the film; in addition, backlit animation with color gels produce unearthly glows and multiple passes on the camera creating translucent effects - lending an ethereal quality to many of the scenes. All in all - the movie draws you in and tells a complex story within a framework that a child will understand.
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Mine did, at least.
Why NIMH?
This commentary may contain spoilers. Swim at your own risk.
Why should I, as an OSR referee, watch The Secret of NIMH? Two reasons: swords and sorcery. This film contains every element of an OSR game - ranging across level bands and across class niches. The rats themselves live in a society reminiscent of Camelot - fighting with swords, knives, and even once with Gary's favorite: a pole arm! Not enough sorcery in your sword and sorcery? Bam - the leader of the rats is a freaking wizard.
Regarding the sorcery aspect - most of the mystical elements present in the
film manifest themselves through the use of magic items or talismans: some of
which can be identified as scientific; others clearly having no secular
origin. The way that the magic is used - in this sense - is very reminiscent
of magic in Mausritter:
a charming, not-quite-OSR game I have not had the opportunity to play enough
of but the authors of which, I would be surprised if they had not seen this
movie and taken some inspiration.
Further - to expand on themes in addition to elements - the film opens on a wilderness crawl. The primary protagonist has to leave home, brave the dangers of the wild, to make it to a wizened sage - Mr. Ages - in search of relief from a sickness taken to her son. The physician prescribes a medical treatment: something that's important in the context to maintain the groundedness of the film. While none can claim that D&D, as a game, as ever truly been low magic, as magic is accessible essentially to every adventuring party - it's application is limited: a Cleric, in B/X, gains no spells until second level: and doesn't gain the ability to remove diseases until 5th. Is Mr. Ages a low level Cleric? Of course not - but the point is, like many settings and setting design goals set out by OSR referees, the world bears verisimilitude - believability: historical resemblance is not compromised by indiscriminate use of magic to solve problems. Mr. Ages - and Mrs. Brisby - are both entirely human (or... mouse... as may be) and the world they live in is full of dangers and problems that they must solve or endure through wit or through perseverance.
In this, the characters become more relatable - while at the same time making a nod to the fantastic. When returning with the medicine, Mrs. Brisby is pursued by a house cat. It's a perfectly standard experience on a rural homestead - but when presented from the perspective of the mouse, the film does a brilliant job of making the house cat into a terrifying foe. The creatures name, even, is "Dragon" - ironic humor for the farmer; an apt title for the mice; and a touch of the fantastic for us - the viewers.
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Why have you come? |
On two occasions worth citing, The Secret of NIMH explores a rendition of the dungeon crawl: once - again - seeing the guidance of a sage, this time in the form of the Great Owl; and then later, in attempt to drug the cat, Dragon, to facilitate movements of the rats. The former entailing a wandering monster encounter and the latter entailing a trap, imprisonment, and perilous escape, both sequences embody experiences that fantasy adventuring parties encounter: experiences which a referee - novice or seasoned - may draw inspiration.
For Further Consumption
You mentioned early on in the review that the film is based on a book of
similar title and story. Is the book worth reading?
I honestly don't know - I have not read it. I can vouch that it has a
4.15 rating on Goodreads
- as of this writing. But I can also vouch that the book does not contain the
same mystical elements - as writer and producer Don Bluth added the mystical
elements intentionally: one, to create a greater air of mystery; and two, to
add a layer of spirituality and depth to the story that wasn't there in the
version more geared towards an exclusively younger audience. Knowing what you
know, I can guide only so far regarding the novelization.
There is a sequel, I think? And maybe a remake in the works? No. The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue did not happen: much like Mad Max: Thunderdome did not happen - definitely not agonizingly spewing effluvium on the memory of the original. Didn't happen.
Of the remake - I am aware of a television series in the work by Fox and a
live action / CGI film in the works by original producer MGM: but we'll have
to see what happens with either of those particular
cash grabs expansions of the NIMH ecosystem.
The Secret of NIMH was a passion project - a labor of love: as
evidenced by the executive producers taking out mortgages on their own homes
to fund finalization of the product: it will be a challenge for corporate
direction to produce the same soul, the same art as pours freely from an
empowered and impassioned creator or creative team.
In Conclusion
In my first N-Spiration post, I had a kind of tongue-in-cheek scale, rating the film on a scale against itself, implying that the scale should be based on that film due to its brilliance. Between then and now, however, I've had some time to think it over and I've come up with what I'd say is a better scale: one that more aptly reflects the objective of the series. And using that new scale, I rate The Secret of NIMH a solid 1. (It's OSR, remember? Lower numbers are better sometimes.)
The Secret of NIMH, while not a traditional fantasy, hits all the bases to inspire a referee to run their own thing, to provide a challenge and let the players turn that challenge into an adventure. The combination of thematic elements, mysticism, and adventure - stacked alongside wilderness travel, "dungeon" delving, and problem solving (sometimes with wits, sometimes with swords, and other times with magic) plant this movie thoroughly in the camp of old school fantasy adventure gaming.
If you have not seen it; I recommend seeing it.
If you have not seen it in a while, I recommend seeing it again.
Delve on, readers - thank you for reading!
The Secret of NIMH and all imagery or clips taken therefrom or from promotional material therefor is property of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and is used for review purposes under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and all imagery related to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is property of Wizards of the Coast and is likewise referenced and used under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107 as a combination of review and parody.
The picture of my son is property of me - obviously - and the slide in of
Grandpappa Gary... I got it from a meme.
No clue beyond that
much.
