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When I was a kid, I loved reading Robert C. O’Brien’s Newbery Medal-winning novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH—and, after my class finished reading the book, I remember being thrilled to take time off from our regular schoolwork to watch the animated movie adaptation on the school’s noisy old movie projector. Now, years later, I’ve found it again—this time, for free online—and it’s still as exciting now as it was back then.
Based on the beloved children’s novel, director Don Bluth’s The Secret of NIMH follows Mrs. Jonathan Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse with a sick child, as she tries to move her family to keep them safe from the farmer’s plow.
Poor little Timothy (Ian Fried) is sick with pneumonia—and, according to the wise Mr. Ages (Arthur Malet), he needs to stay in bed for three weeks before he’ll get better. But the spring thaw comes early—and while the chill in the air could kill little Timothy, the plow will certainly kill the whole family.
With the help of clumsy crow Jeremy (Dom DeLuise), Mrs. Brisby goes to the Great Owl (John Carradine) for advice. And he sends her to the rats who live in the rosebush, to ask them for help in moving her house to the lee of the stone, where her family will be safe. But the mysterious rats have their own trouble brewing, too.
Beautifully animated, with dark, eerie backgrounds and cute characters, The Secret of NIMH is an old-school ‘80s classic that’s well worth watching again. The story is suspenseful and action-packed (and often scary, too), with new dangers around every corner. But sweet little Mrs. Brisby bravely faces them all—from the wise old owl (who might just eat her) to the intimidating council of super-smart rats and even the farmer’s cat, Dragon—out of love for her sick little boy.
But Mrs. Brisby isn’t the only lovable character in the cast. Her adorably precocious children (voiced by child actors like Shannen Doherty and Wil Wheaton) lighten up the story—and bumbling Jeremy the crow brings plenty of comic relief.
Though it definitely has some scary moments, the charming characters make The Secret of NIMH a delightful—and exciting—animated adventure. If you haven’t seen it in years (since you, too, watched it in a dark classroom, with the school’s old movie projector clattering in the background), it deserves another look—especially since you can watch it for free (with the occasional commercial break) on Hulu.com. So whether you’re sitting at home with the kids on a rainy summer afternoon or winding down in your hotel room while you’re on vacation, you’ll enjoy sharing this fun family favorite with a new generation of movie lovers.
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