For you who have been waiting with baited breath for this column to reappear and, for you new readers, let me introduce myself. I have volunteered to take over this column originated by Allan Greenfield. I am a fan first and a second a scholar of animation. I will try to keep you informed of new happenings, old things you might not know about, interview artists and animators, and review current and old films. To do this properly, I will need suggestions, criticisms and advice from you.
Please do not expect a carbon copy of Mr. Greenfield's style. "Frame by Frame," as in the past will have no set guidelines. Warner Bros. cartoons may be discussed in one column, and techneques of clay animation may appear in the next.
It is appropriate since The Secret of NIMH has now been playing across the country, to review the film. The Secret of NIMH is an important new development of the field of animation, because the film is a return to the classic family film the Disney studios used to make. Don Bluth and a number of other animators were dissatisfied with Disney, and left to organize their own studio. The Secret of NIMH, Bluth's first feature, is good enough to thorougly scare the big bosses at Disney. The characters are well designed; the colors are appealing. The one problem is the story. There is too much of it. It is like watching a feature length version of the old serial Flash Gordon. The plot essentials are there, but many incidents that lead up to major events are missing. Actually, there are two stories in The Secret of NIMH. To give each story the proper build up it needs, the films should be lengthend considerably, or presented as two films.
The first story is about Mrs. Brisby, a mouse who must move her extremly ill son Timmy, and the rest of her family out of the way of the farm tractor at spring planting time. She meets a number of characters, before finding help from the rats of NIMH.
The second story is about the rats who have escaped from a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) laboratory. The rats have been given a drug to make them super intelligent, and they have built a society under the barn. There is a conflict between the wise ruler Nicodemus and the villainous Jenner. Nicodemus wants to leave the farm, but Jenner wants the rats to remain to steal power and food from the farm. Mrs. Brisby's late husband Jonathan helped the rats to escape, which serves to connect the two stories.
However, it's the incidental characters who breathe life into the stories. The two most memorable characters are Jeremy, a klutzy crow, and a frightening old owl. Jeremy's voice is wonderfully rendered by Dom DeLuise, and the owl speaks with the ominous tones of John Carradine. Using such well established "name" voices may be attacked by critics who faulted Disney doing the same with The Jungle Book. As a kid, I didn't know that Phil Harris was the voice of Baloo the Bear, nor did I care. The theory is that a "star" voice helps sell the film. I feel that if a voice really fits a character, it doesn't matter who does the voice. Don Bluth uses actors whose voices fit the character with good results.
The main characters need a proper build up. The sword fight between Jenner and the heroic rat Justin should have been longer. It is over too quickly and is disappointing. There were many kids in the audience when I saw the film, who would have enjoyed it more had it been less complicated. While not a classic, the film is well done. This may be a sign that the era of the animated cartoon is reawakening after a long slumber.
Take the kids to see The Secret of NIMH, you just might like it.