I just saw The Secret of NIMH. What an underrated masterful classic of animation I must say. It was touching, dark, mysterious, epic, moral, and it brought forth an almost Raymanesque atmosphere multiple times. The artwork was beyond beautiful, and it feels like one of those movies you could "love," the kind you always want to keep in your memory. Even though it was made in the mid 80's, it really had that authentic touch many pre-50's animated movies had, almost comparable to Bambi. In fact, much of the movie gave a similar emotion that Bambi brought, and it's really a beautiful feeling.
There's only two things I can point out that did bug me a little, but in truth it's rather nitpicking. One is that they kept calling the bird a crow, even though it had a yellow beak like that of a rook (whereas crows have black beaks). The other is that the resolution to the plot was slightly confusing: [ when Mrs. Brisby touched the stone, it somehow raised her home back out of the sinkhole without much explanation.] I just feel there could have been a little more emphasis on why that worked. All in all though, those little things really aren't noticeable when compared to the emotion and beauty experienced in this film. It's surely something I'll be looking for a physical copy of, and it's definitely inspired me creatively and fueled my goals.
There's something about that retro hand-drawn aspect of animation that just provides so much more than what you would expect from a modern animated film. Not only in the technology, but in the older films, you can truly feel the effort and heart that went into their pleasured work. The animators, musicians, and even the voice actors have a motivation behind them that rarely is present these days, and it makes you wish you lived in that time - even though it was a rougher time - for a much more "real" and "true" media, when money wasn't the main prize. However, living in this time period allows us to appreciate what was there, and perhaps try to be the one to bring back that "true" feeling, regardless of however ambitious that may sound. That, along with the whole spectrum of creativity is what I want to bring back forth and strive forward in a whole new revolution of artistry with - that is my dream.
If you haven't yet seen this movie and you enjoy animated movies, then this is one you absolutely can't miss. I really wish this film had gotten more popularity than it did.
Oh, and of course, thank you Doug Walker "Nostalgia Critic" for making me aware of this movie.
