I wouldn't say this movie scarred me as a child, but rather instilled in me a deep sense of empathy for all living creatures, in a very strong and urgent way. Scriptwriters, movie producers and directors shouldn't underestimate the mind of a child.

This scene gave me nightmares back then. Many years I thought this movie was just a fever dream.

To be completely honest, Nicodemus is a very wise elderly and slender rat. And another thing, he's a very old, very kind, good-hearted, caring, protective, noble and kind of worrisome creature.

The shots of the needles always gives me a heart attack

This scene changed my whole life….

*"They were put through the most unspeakable tortures...."*

Dam, back then as a child and now as an adult this is stil one of my most favourite scenes in cinematography until this day.

NIMH is a real place. National Institute of Mental Health.

I know so many like this book, but I really like the book better. The scientist at Nimh was NOT cruel to the rats and mice (in the book), and also there wasn't any mumbo-jumbo mystic quality. The fact that rats were made intelligent is wonderous enough!

This scene intrigued as a kid. I even shared this in elementary school, but everyone in class never understood it. They were indifferent. They just thought this movie was weird and didn't appreciate the animation effort. They wanted Shrek like 3d films. They wanted to laugh rather than think.

1:13 Um, yeah. About those needles. Those needles would be _way_ too big to inject a rat with without impaling a major organ and killing it. It's pretty likely that this scene was made from the rats' perspective, therefore the needles only appeared that big to them.

As a child when I saw this scene, specifically 1:35 it scarred me realizing they were in pain and being tortured

For some reason the line “ One night I looked upon the words written on the side of the cage, and understood them” it’s almost like the story of Muhammad being shown how to read by an angel and he begins his story “in the beginning” As well as persecuted race escaping imprisonment by a messiah character I’m not a religious person by nature but I do love how the histories of these religions can inspire such compelling forms of story telling

I'm reading the books. Second one gave me the feels and I was crying a lot.

0:10 when your half asleep and get a message so open a laptop or phone at night

I don’t think I realized, despite the dialogue, that the story was implying the rats were much stronger against the winds than mice, making our two boys beefcakes

That’s scary scene gives me the heart attack because of those short needles to those poor rats

I thought this movies was a fever dream, holy guacamole on tacos with beef from a holy cow with a halo.

I think in the book and movie they hint at trying to get electricity through means other than stealing from the farm house. I always sort of thought if they were so intelligent they may be smarter than even people do you think they were going to build a nuclear reactor of some sort?

Both movies were released at the same time. The Secret of NIMH (1982) The Plague Dogs (1982)

Man, I never realized how dark this movie was growing up. Why are so many older kids movies like this lol?

This scene made me understand that other animals feel pain at the hands of humans.

This movie was so important for me to see as a kid. Also I notice now how much all her kids resemble their father

That small red dot blinking inside a rat, was the most nightmarish thing back then when I was a kid 🫣

For some reason I would always rewatch when the rat was getting bigger and fatter. Idk why. I liked it LOL

Basicly I was born on the Year of the Rats Oh the mirical

I hate animal testing. Do you think they created this to show how bad it was?

I loved the movie when I first saw it in my early 20's. Now, now, 40 years later, I think about the lessons it taught, comparing it with AI.

Scientists don't keep rats in cages that are so easy to escape. Rats aren't stupid and when it comes to escape or infiltration, they are exceptionally clever. You don't need to be able to read to escape from those cages.

I love how viscerally terrifying this is

I love it! This is back when movies still had a soul.

So I dont get how the other mice and rats are also smart now, like Mrs. Birsby for instance should be a dumb field mouse not wearing clothes and able to communicate with them and know how to stop a tractor or whatever.

"My father was a musician during the battle of Stalingrad."

In the beginning, we were ordinary street rats... stealing our daily bread and living off the efforts of man's work. We were captured, put in cages and sent to a place called NIMH. There were many animals there... in cages. They were put through the most unspeakable tortures to satisfy some scientific curiosity. Often at night I would hear them crying out in anguish. Twenty rats and eleven mice were given injections. our world began changing... Then, one night, I looked upon the words under the cage door... and understood them. We had become intelligent. We could read. The miracle was kept secret from the scientists. And in the quiet of the night, we escaped through the ventilation system. The mice were blown away... sucked down dark air-shafts to their deaths. All, except two... Jonathan, and Mr. Ages. We were trapped by a locked door on the roof. It was Jonathan who made possible the unlocking of the door.

Are those the NIAID beagles?

The Secret of Wuhan

Such a good film

Early desensitization! Yay!

I wonder what would have happened if Humans were injected with the serum

2:55 so which one was nicodemus? jenner? justin?

Thanks

i know nothing aboutt his but it is so strange i need to understand it

Teresia svenska film dvd

Definitely nightmare fuel

💜🤘

Went from pluto to Goofy

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Yikes! 1:16 - 1:23

I'm not a big fan of the magic part tbh. I like how the original book only really pushes the suspension of disbelief for sentient rats.

I miss the good old days when people weren't so obsessed with keeping children blind to the world around them.

Thanks

This movie scarred me as a child. Definitely the injection part, it gave me nightmares for years and i still retain a fear of syringes.

This was a touching scene when she realises that her deceased husband was a hero

"We had become intelligent..." and no other line in any other movie has ever made me shiver...

1:39 through 1:50 had terrified me as a kid. I was six years-old at that time, and had no idea that it was supposed to be a representation of the rats' DNA undergoing a brutal mutation. It had a nightmarish, almost lovecraftian quality that was truly scary.

Boy, they left out a hugh part of the book, where the rats and mice actually are forced to learn reading. They didn't just 'magically' understood words, they went through a difficult and long learning process.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

I spent a couple nights trying to process this movie when I was 3.

0:52 the rabbits here remind me of the Watership Down rabbits

dude this gave me nightmares as a kid. its so intense for a kid movie.

Dr. Calhoun spent the better part of a 40-year career working at the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, conducting various experiments and studies on mice to see what would happen when their population grew too big for their environment. His most famous experiment placed four pairs of mice into a mouse universe he called “Universe 25,” a 9-foot-by-9-foot metal pen with tunnels, nesting boxes, and food and water dispensers. The population doubled every couple of months, until it reached 620 mice on day 315. By day 560, there were 2,200 mice crammed into that 9x9 space-and things got pretty ugly. see the rest here: mentalfloss.com/article/67202/scary-real-life-inspiration-mrs-frisby-and-rats-nimh

they just don't make shit like this anymore

This movie show the terrible, cruel and especially unnecessary reality of animal testing

My mom wouldn't buy us this movie when we were little because of this scene. I don't use animal tested products because it makes me sick to think that this happens to poor animals.

This movie MIGHT have scared me when I was a kid, but someone had already taken me to see Alien at the drive-in theatre with a bunch of my cousins when I was 5, so I was HARD CORE.

Those poor animals. I hope their alright.

Somehow the scientists in the lab need printed instructions telling them how to open the cage latches?

How can people be so inhumane, people like that deserve the treatment they were giving to those defenseless animals.

Upon first watching this, I was just..caught off guard. this movie has to be one of my favorites..it's dark, it doesn't sugarcoat the world we live in, it's masterfully told.

Thanks Don Bluth for making me afraid of syringes through my whole childhood and beyond. I'm still not over this nightmare and getting fuzzy feelings while donating blood.

I was born in 1983, a year after this was made. This movie taught me what it means to be scared shitless.

I watched this as a kid. It was the first time I was confronted with animal testing, this scene and the fact that this is still going on breaks my heart.

When I was a child, the movie scared me. This scene was probably the last drop that allows the movie to be my MOST traumatizing film ever of my childhood.

When Nicodemus shows Mrs. Brisby the history of NIMH, he made me quite scared, see the evolution of those poor rodents.

I was feeling a bit nostalgic and found this clip. I also learned a CGI/live action reboot is in the works. (shakes head in disgust)

This movie is brilliant. You don't see anything like this nowadays.

It never explains where they got that magic amulet.

As a child this part scared the shit outta me

I haven't seen this movie when I was a kid, but I have seen many animation cartoons of same type: teaching children to care about animals and environment, learning to cope with disappointments, to stand against greediness and taking a side of good, even if it costed more to you ...and things like that. The question is: is it so that there just really isn't "clever" children cartoons that handle darker things of life anymore? Or am I just too old and not knowing today's children cartoons well enough (thus them looking too superficial to me)?

Look at the rotating device at 0:09. I noticed these types of things in various media back in the 80s.. In 1987's Snow White, there's a magic mirror with a white face and a rotating mirror (spins to magically activate and show scenes upon request). Then there's creatures with multiple faces in NeverEnding Story 1&2 that are of the same style as the devices and other creatures. Is there a name to this type of style?

Given the fact there is a lot of implied back-story regarding Jonathan, even the great owl acknowledges him, he must have been some well renowned hero in the animal kingdom around the farm. I'm just speculating here, but maybe you're touched because you are aware of this fact (but don't really think about it, perhaps) and this scene embodies the beginning of a pure, heroic heart from something horrible as the experimentations made upon him. I'd like to see a prequel detailing Jonathan's life.

This has to be one of the best movies ever

Beautiful! One of the most real and adult pieces of storytelling I have ever seen in a Movie, Especially an animated kids movie!

Don Bluth is a genius! Crazy how he got the jump on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by like 5 years (that TV cartoon series didn't drop until 1987) with this G.M.A.(genetically modified animals) concept applying it to rodents way before kick-ass rat Splinter (a.k.a. Yoshi Hamato) jumped on the scene to take down his Japanese rival Shredder from their Foot Clan days. LOL! =)

Researchers implanted immature human brain cells in mouse pups, which then grew and replaced nearly half the mice's own cells. And thus, we have experimented by implanting human brain cells into baby mice to create animals with slightly higher reasoning and problem-solving skills. Of course the mice still aren't sapient, but it's a start. Once we start splicing our neurons... watch out. Likelihood is high of not being able to pass on any intelligence to children though (Just like Jonathans children weren't born super smart), so I suppose that's good or whatever.

This movie was epic. I loved it as a kid. I read the book and the movie while it had its differences was still amazing. I wish the sequel could have been as good :/

1:03 - No matter how old I get, that scene always breaks my heart.

I wish they made a spinoff of the origins of NIMH.

Instead of that awful excuse for a sequel; I wish that we got a prequel movie that focuses on the story of the rats & N.I.M.H. It has enough material to be it's own movie, and it would've helped get to know Jonathan more. And maybe, we would've got to know what Mrs. Brisby's first name is.

I wasn't born yet when this was released in theaters, but I'm super bummed that I never got to see this on VHS as a kid. This would have been perfect for me at 8 and 9 years old when I had a huge fetish for animated rodents.

Yeah, the hypos being jabbed into the animals was pretty damn scary, GREAT use of sound!

The Shots give me a Heart Attack 1:15

Arise Skaven Empire!

I'm NOT worthless! And I DON'T have fleas!

I just watched this first time since I was about 5. Back then I had only seen it dubbed in danish, but even then I didn't understand it as well as this time. I URGE everyone who saw this as a child to rewatch it. It was a total emotional rollercoaster.

I was born in 1980 and watched this movie a lot when I was little. It's still epic.

I had remembered seeing this when I was in 2nd or 1st grade. Didn't know what the movie was till now, still creeps me out to this day.

The syringe part may have been proper disturbing but it was the mice being blown away in the vents that terrified me as a kid.

The only part that confuses me is how Mrs Brisby became intelligent. Could someone explain that to me?

That was the scariest scene in the whole movie for me.