If the audiences sees the brush strokes, the artist hasn't done his job. However, making an animted film is a long and complicated process. Here's a simplified list of steps that were followed in the making of "The Secret of NIMH."

--STORY SELECTION AND SCRIPT ADAPTATION. Classic stories are the best, ones that have a message that is somehow timeless. Such stories, often found in book form, must be adapted not onl yfor the screen, but for the animation medium as well.

--CASTING. The producers of "The Secret of NIMH" listened to hundreds of films and voices to find the ones with the proper qualities for their characters. The selection of Dom DeLuise as the voice of Jeremy the crow happened one night when all three producers, unknown to each other, were watching a televised performance of DeLuise's film, "The End." Phones rang back and forth and before the film ended, the decision to contact the actor had been made. Actors are recorded separately at this time.

--STORY SKETCHES AND STORYBOARDS. The entire film is put into sketches which are tacked up in order on bulletin boards and filmed, with the same approximate timing given to each scene as is planned for the final film. This is the first time that the movie is filmed.

--ANIMATION. Animators get the character from here to there, doing this and that while staying within the character's personality. Full animators do "key poses," while "in-between" artists do all the drawings of action between the key poses, and clean-up artists make sure each drawing has sharp, clear lines. After the drawings have been cleaned up, they are filmed and this pencil footage replaces the sketch footage in the film.

--XEROGRAPHY. Here each cleaned up drawing that has been approved is put onto plastic sheets called "cels" by a special electromagnetic process with is much refined from its early days for "The Secret of NIMH."

--INK & PAINT. Each xerographed cel is sent to this depeartment where the cel is turned over and the xerography lines are smoothed out by hand inking. here, too, according to complex color charts, each cel is painted from the back.

--LAYOUT. This is where each scene is staged. Decisions are made now as to whether this will be a closeup or longshot, inside or out, daytime or nighttime. Formal layouts to to background artists and to animators at the same time.

--BACKGROUND. This is the set design and scenery department of the film. The paintings give a three-dimensional illusion and are meticulous in detail as to color and period of furniture, architecture and props.

--PRODUCTION CAMERA. This actually marks the fourth time each scene is filmed, but it marks the first time it is done in color, with the full color background. When it is finished here, it means that this part of the film is complete.

--RECORDING SESSIONS - MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS. These are recorded separately. Music for "The Secret of NIMH" is being composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith with musicians from London's National Philharmonic Orchestra. Paul Williams is writing the lyrics. Dave Horton is preparing as many as 38 tracks of sound effects for each reel of film.

--FINAL DUB. Here the tracks from all the recording sessions are added to the film, replacing any temporary tracks that might have been used as reference to this date.

--COLOR LAB. Here film is adjusted and color corrected, scratches are polished away. The final result here is the Answer Print, from which hundreds of prints of "The Secret of NIMH" are made and sent to theaters.

"The Secret of NIMH" was produced by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy and directed by Bluth. It is based on the Newbery Award-winning book, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien, with a story adaptation by Bluth, Pomeroy, Will Finn and Goldman. Jerry Goldsmith composed and conducted the songs and score, and Paul Williams penned the lyrics. Mel Griffin is production executive. Rich Irvine and James L. Stewart are executive producers.