So lovely to read this! Wonderful memories being part of a dedicated, talented crew.
I worked on NIMH with Dorse Lanpher who trained me in special effects animation - and am proud to say that although my job title was assistant animator he trusted me to animate all the mud in the scene at the end where it's dripping from the brick as it's hauled out of the muck. I left LA for the UK and have now lived in Scotland for many years. The production of NIMH was so long ago but the thought of those brilliant times makes me smile to this day
Secret of NIMH has long been my favorite animated film. I'm lucky enough to own production artwork from it and other Bluth productions. I've always had a preference for Bluth's style.
NIMH has always been one of my all time faves, and as an adult the Bluth films have fascinated me, and I never really knew why. These series on Don Bluth has been so wonderful, thanks for two really awesome reads on a very interesting creative endeavor.
And very neat to see all the women involved on the project. I’d forgotten what a bad-a Mrs. Brigsby was. A mother as a hero and heroine. With action and danger scenes! When Disney’s default seems to be to have the mother RIP early and often.
I had no idea that the success of this film is what got Spielberg to work with Bluth. I loved An American Tail. I rewound the VHS so many times I wore it out. Crazy to think that that film would not exist without NIMH. I've never had the chance to check that movie out. I'll have to go give it a shot now for sure!
This is the reason and standard for substacks. Thank you so much for this work. The insights, the reporting, the emotion. Top notch. Best duology you've released yet imo. Bravo and keep it up.
So glad to see this movie get the AO treatment! The camera tricks they used really ought to be recorded and saved to some central document - it would be such a shame for that knowledge to be lost, even though film isn't commonly used for animation anymore. I had researched it myself last year, and found that you could translate some of the techniques even while using digital tools!
I wonder how much the home video market played in NIMH's fortunes. This was a movie I routinely remember being on TV and in rental stores all the time as a kid in the 90s, considering that the VHS market itself didn't really take off until some time in the 80s. I am sure that's how a lot of people were exposed to NIMH once it ended its theatrical run.
(Our home didn't have it but it did have a copy of Fievel Goes West that we watched over and over again, of all things, ha)
So lovely to read this! Wonderful memories being part of a dedicated, talented crew.
I worked on NIMH with Dorse Lanpher who trained me in special effects animation - and am proud to say that although my job title was assistant animator he trusted me to animate all the mud in the scene at the end where it's dripping from the brick as it's hauled out of the muck. I left LA for the UK and have now lived in Scotland for many years. The production of NIMH was so long ago but the thought of those brilliant times makes me smile to this day
Secret of NIMH has long been my favorite animated film. I'm lucky enough to own production artwork from it and other Bluth productions. I've always had a preference for Bluth's style.
Actually, as you probably well know, cartoons were originally created for adults! That's why they were good!
NIMH has always been one of my all time faves, and as an adult the Bluth films have fascinated me, and I never really knew why. These series on Don Bluth has been so wonderful, thanks for two really awesome reads on a very interesting creative endeavor.
I wish this was till the way we made things…
And very neat to see all the women involved on the project. I’d forgotten what a bad-a Mrs. Brigsby was. A mother as a hero and heroine. With action and danger scenes! When Disney’s default seems to be to have the mother RIP early and often.
a-ma-zing! :))
Great write-up about a great movie. Thanks again!
I had no idea that the success of this film is what got Spielberg to work with Bluth. I loved An American Tail. I rewound the VHS so many times I wore it out. Crazy to think that that film would not exist without NIMH. I've never had the chance to check that movie out. I'll have to go give it a shot now for sure!
This is the reason and standard for substacks. Thank you so much for this work. The insights, the reporting, the emotion. Top notch. Best duology you've released yet imo. Bravo and keep it up.
So glad to see this movie get the AO treatment! The camera tricks they used really ought to be recorded and saved to some central document - it would be such a shame for that knowledge to be lost, even though film isn't commonly used for animation anymore. I had researched it myself last year, and found that you could translate some of the techniques even while using digital tools!
I wonder how much the home video market played in NIMH's fortunes. This was a movie I routinely remember being on TV and in rental stores all the time as a kid in the 90s, considering that the VHS market itself didn't really take off until some time in the 80s. I am sure that's how a lot of people were exposed to NIMH once it ended its theatrical run.
(Our home didn't have it but it did have a copy of Fievel Goes West that we watched over and over again, of all things, ha)
Great article as usual!
I absolutely love this movie.
We just loved NIMH as kids. So neat to learn that we were actually appreciating top-notch creative animation techniques!