The Secret of NIMH

The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated fantasy film, the directorial debut of Don Bluth, made through Don Bluth Productions in association with Aurora Productions and based on Robert C. O'Brien's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. It tells the story of a widowed field mouse who seeks help from a colony of genetically enhanced, highly intelligent rats to save her family and home from destruction. Bluth and his team of animators, several of whom had left Disney over disagreements about declining standards, revived labor-intensive techniques such as multiplane camera work and backlighting at a time when other studios were cutting costs, and the film is remembered for showing that meticulous traditional animation could still find an audience and helping keep classical hand-drawn animation alive as a serious art form.