THE SECRET OF NIMH (Masters of Cinema) - Blu-ray

In 1979, legendary animator Don Bluth made the decision to leave Walt Disney Productions and establish his own animation studio with several former Disney employees. The newly established Don Bluth Productions first made a short – Banjo the Woodpile Cat – and then its first feature: The Secret of NIMH, adapted from Robert C. O’Brien’s popular children’s book Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

The widowed Mrs Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a field mouse, lives with her children in a cinderblock on the rural Fitzgibbon farm – although not for much longer. With harvest season approaching, she must relocate her family before their home is destroyed by the farmer’s plough. But her son, Timothy (Ina Fried), has fallen ill and can’t be moved. In desperate need of help, Mrs Brisby pays a visit to the Great Owl (John Carradine), who in turn introduces her to Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi): the wise leader of a rat colony living beneath a rose bush on the Fitzgibbon property. The rats are technologically advanced and possess vast intelligence due to their connection to a mysterious place they call NIMH, and agree to help Mrs Brisby due to a cherished friendship with her late husband. But not all of the rats are so kind, and the power-hungry Jenner (Paul Shenar) has a vested interest in making sure that Mrs Brisby and her family stay put…

A sweeping fantasy epic realised through astoundingly beautiful cel animation, The Secret of NIMH paved the way for Bluth’s later successes An American Tail, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to present this touchstone of American animation on Blu-ray.

STANDARD EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a studio supplied master | A new audio commentary with animation scholar Sam Summers, author of DreamWorks Animation: Intertextuality and Aesthetics in Shrek and Beyond | An archival audio commentary with director Don Bluth and producer Gary Goldman | The Rats of NIMH – A new on-camera interview with director and animator Don Bluth | Beyond Your Wildest Dreams - A new on-camera appreciation of The Secret of NIMH with animation expert and fan Stacey Abbott | Courage of the Heart – A new video essay by children’s media expert Catherine Lester on motherhood in The Secret of NIMH | Secrets Behind the Secret – An archival behind-the-scenes featurette | Theatrical trailer | Stills Gallery

PRESS

“a richly animated and skilfully structured film…”– Variety

“an ambitious and entertaining debut that will delight and terrify kids everywhere”– Newsweek

“The Secret of NIMH folds a commentary on the evils of animal experimentation and a salute to the bravery of single moms into a smart, gripping action-adventure framework, becoming an underappreciated touchstone for sensitive Eighties kids.”

– Rolling Stone

“a highly competent piece of work, well organized, sometimes imaginative and beautifully detailed” – The Guardian

“a spectacular return to the shimmering, mesmerising deep-focus animation associated with Disney's classic period...”

– Time Out