Made by a cadre of ex-Disney animators, The Secret of NIMH has been hyped as a return to the richly detailed animation of the 1940s. I don't believe historical styles can be recreated, but there's no denying that Don Bluth and company have knocked themselves silly packing the film with watery reflections, shimmering candles, radiant jewels, translucent shadows, and all the other abandoned hallmarks of the once sumptuous Disney style. The ostentation sometimes borders on hysteria, but it does make recent Disneys like Robin Hood and The Fox and the Hound seem pretty Hanna-Barbera by comparison. NIMH's backgrounds are elaborately textured, the character animation (with the notable exception of the namby-pamby heroine) is respectable, and the action sequences are a good deal better than that.
The story has something to do with a group of rats who develop human intelligence during experiments at the National Institute of Mental Health and then escape to create their own civilization. Adults won't be bored, but the political infighting among the rats may be a bit abstract for younger kids. Pinocchio was the high watermark of Disney animation, and one can't help but be impressed by Bluth's willingness to measure NIMH against it. Still, there are some things at which Walt may always be inimitable. Ambitious as he is, Bluth has a long way to go before he can match Disney's uncanny ability to concoct plots comprehensible to Yaqui Indians, natives of Fiji, and children still in their mothers' wombs.