Season 7: Episode 333 - ONCE UPON A TIME: Mrs Frisby & The Rats of NIMH/Secret of NIMH (1982)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a 1971 children's science fiction/fantasy book by Robert C. O'Brien, with illustrations by Zena Bernstein. The novel was published by the New York City publishing house Atheneum Books.

 

This book was the winner of numerous awards including the 1972 Newbery Medal.   Ten years following its publication, the story was adapted for film as The Secret of NIMH (1982).

 

The novel centres around a colony of escaped lab rats–the rats of NIMH–who live in a technologically sophisticated and literate society mimicking that of humans. They come to the aid of Mrs. Frisby, a widowed field mouse who seeks to protect her children and home from destruction by a farmer’s plow.

 

The rats of NIMH were inspired by the research of John B. Calhoun on mouse and rat population dynamics at the National Institute of Mental Health from the 1940s to the 1960s.

 

After O’Brien’s death in 1973, his daughter Jane Leslie Conly wrote two sequels to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

 

The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film features the voices of Elizabeth Hartman, Peter Strauss, Arthur Malet, Dom DeLuise, John Carradine, Derek Jacobi, Hermione Baddeley, and Paul Shenar. It was produced by Bluth's production company Don Bluth Productions in association with Aurora Productions.

 

The Secret of NIMH was released in the United States on July 2, 1982, by MGM/UA Entertainment Co. under the United Artists label. It was praised by critics for its elegant and painstakingly detailed animation, compelling characters, and deep and mature plot, and won a Saturn Award for Best Animated Film of 1982. Though only a moderate success at the box office, it turned a solid profit through home video and overseas releases. It was followed in 1998 by a direct-to-video sequel, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, which was made without Bluth's involvement or input and met with poor reception. In 2015, a live-action/computer-animated remake was reported to be in the works. A television series adaptation is also in development by the Fox Corporation.

 

 

Opening Credits; Introduction (1.21); Background History (4.50); Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Plot Synopsis (6.15); Book Thoughts (11.37); Let's Rate (42.18); Introducing a Film (44.01); Secret of NIMH (1982) Film Trailer (46.00); Lights, Camera, Action (48.33); How Many Stars (1:33.30); End Credits (1.35.41); Closing Credits (1:37.18)

 

Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – Copyright . All rights reserved

 

Closing Credits:  Flying Dreams (from The Secret of NIMH) by Kenny Loggins featuring Olivia Newton-John.  Taken from the album More Songs from Pooh’s Corner.  Copyright 2000 Sony Records. 

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Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 

 

All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.

 

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