alexzinuro In the book on which these films were based, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien, 1971), the rats are so much more fascinating than in either of the films. Their plan to move the Brisby household actually works, thanks to the supervision of their mechanical expert, Arthur. In the book, Nicodemus does not get offed, and as far as the original film is concerned, I didn't understand how someone so wise and visionary didn't know better than to stand underneath a structure that could collapse at any minute, or why he didn't see through Jenner's plot. The film would have been so much nicer if Brutus, for instance, had noticed Jenner and stopped him with his electrified spear, then held him in place while Sullivan tied him up and, when they heard from Mrs. Brisby (why couldn't they just stick with Frisby? I don't care if it does sound similar to a toy) that NIMH was coming, they leave Jenner where NIMH can find him and have him sent back. After seeing Mrs. Brisby rescue her house herself with the amulet, some might say, "I think this proves that relying on the kindness of strangers only gets you into trouble." Others might say, "Did you saying 'relying on the kindness of strangers' or 'watching TV'?" This time, Dr. Schultz (the scientist who gave the rats and mice their injections) could give Jenner's cage a padlock. Besides, Mrs. Brisby wouldn't have had to burn her hands on the amulet (why did they even bother adding that?). Why did the Great Owl have glowing orange eyes without pupils? Seriously, he looked nothing like a great horned owl. Also, it never mentions that Mrs. Brisby isn't really a mouse, but rather a meadow vole (which in America is what we often refer to as the "field mouse"). Why doesn't Justin come back with the tools he uses in the book to rescue Mrs. Brisby? Cynthia was supposed to be "slim, pretty and overly fond of dancing", but in the sequel--enough said. Teresa and Martin were supposed to carry Timothy outside, wrapped in several pieces of cloth large and thick enough to avoid exposing him to the cold (okay, so it was raining in the film, but Mrs. Brisby could have asked the rats to bring some sort of waterproof covering, like cellophane). In the movie, they didn't really have the opportunity to help out. It was like the whole point of the film was to make the audience cheer for Mrs. Brisby and yawn at everyone else, forgetting how special they all were, not just she (ie Timothy was supposed to be the smartest and kindest of the four Brisby children). I wouldn't be surprised if this movie made viewers question the importance of teamwork. In the sequel, Nicodemus states a prophecy that only the son of Jonathan Brisby can stop the evil coming to threaten Thorn Valley, so anybody who has read the book might think, "Of course, this explains everything. In the original film, that wasn't the real Nicodemus. That was an impostor. The real Nicodemus would have had much more sense than to let himself be killed--and also, he wears a patch over his left eye (from an encounter with Dragon the cat) and a satchel over his shoulder. Possibly for the movie, he'll also wear a robe similar to that worn by Moses. Soon after he drugged Dragon, and lost his eye, he must have been recaptured by NIMH before he could take his position as the leader of the rats, and been put in a better cage. Don't worry, Nick, your late pal Jonathan's son Timmy is on his way to rescue you, just like you predicted." Timmy could have rescued him, and then Nicodemus could have asked where Timmy's siblings were, and said that he actually wanted all four Brisby children to rescue him to avoid jealousy and hatred, but his prophecy was mistranslated by the time it reached the rats, and apologized for the mistake. He could have said that the evil coming to threaten Thorn Valley was the development of a strip mall. Nicodemus could have explained that he needs every rat and mouse he can find to help him stop it, and Martin (who has somehow wound up at NIMH) could overhear every word of this, and realize that he, too, has a destiny. The three of them could have headed back to Thorn Valley and once more, Nicodemus would have been the leader of the rats, with Justin as his right-hand man, and repeated his message to everyone in Thorn Valley. Nicodemus could have given everybody a chance to help out stopping the mall, including Mrs. Brisby, Teresa, Martin and Cynthia as well as Timmy. They must show the developers a less ecologically sensitive place to build it. On the way, they find themselves forced to outwit--why don't we say, in the sequel, Dragon has a mate named Phoenix, and they have a son named Griffin, and he could be their arch nemesis? They must also deal with natural predators, such as foxes and weasels, and Timmy has the idea to convince them to eat starlings, thereby making things better for the largely displaced eastern bluebirds. Nicodemus could have asked Mrs. Brisby her name, and she could have said, "It's Maia". It would certainly suit her, wouldn't it? After all, it means "good mother", and it goes without saying that she's all of that. As soon as order had been restored to Thorn Valley, Nicodemus could have made some of the rats members of a safety patrol, led by all four Brisby siblings. Where was Elvira, the rats' doctor in the sequel (by O'Brien's daughter Jane Leslie Conly) to the book? Also, why didn't the sequel feature Martin's mate, Breta the meadow vole? Real meadow voles may not have Jenny's blonde ponytail, blue eyes or breasts, but they're adorable just the same. Animals shouldn't need human features to seem more appealing.

TheUnknown837-1 There is one thing that 1982's "The Secret of N.I.M.H." and its sequel, produced sixteen years later have in common. And that is that they both conclude with a song that beautiful, touching, and wonderfully-performed. Yes, the song, called "My Life and My Love" as performed by Al Jarreau and Bobbi Page, is truly intoxicating to the ears. And it is, by far, the best thing about the sequel. Unfortunately, it does play over the end credits, and we have to wait that long to hear it.That's not to say that the second movie, "The Secret of N.I.M.H. 2: Timmy to the Rescue" is necessarily a bad movie. It features third-rate animation, cringe-worthy lines such as "That's for being so evil!", and far too many musical numbers for its own good, but as a totality isn't insufferable. I can't honestly say I like it, but I can't honestly say I dislike it, either.Still, why, I must ask, was there a need for a sequel? The original "The Secret of N.I.M.H." was a near-masterpiece and like most films at that caliber, ended on a note that, although open for a continuation, really begged to be left alone. And the film was a financial success, but not a smash-hit. So the meaning of "The Secret of N.I.M.H. 2" being green-lighted was obviously one of kids-movie box office exploitation. And whereas the first movie was geared so that adults could enjoy it, and probably would need to sit through it with their youngsters, the second one is aimed directly at children. Young children, specifically.Mrs. Brisby, the heroine of the first film, plays neither first nor second-fiddle in the second movie. She's a cameo; the star is her youngest son Timothy, who occupied a small portion of running time before. At the end of the first film, Mrs. Brisby saved her family with the help of some intelligent rats who escaped from a laboratory at N.I.M.H. The rats then went to a haven we never saw, called Thorn Valley. In "The Secret of N.I.M.H. 2," Timothy is sent to live with them. He grows up to be a valiant, but disobedient teenager, when he runs into a mouse named Jenny, who recently escaped from N.I.M.H. As it turns out, some mice are still there, being tested upon, and Jenny came seeking their former comrades for help. When a rescue mission proves impossible, Tim and Jenny set out on their own.In fact, the next two scenes after this moment describe how the good and bad about "Secret of N.I.M.H. 2" rhythmically fluctuates. The two characters leave Thorn Valley in a makeshift hot-air balloon. The scene with them sailing through the air, accompanied by some wonderful music by the talented Lee Holdridge, is magical in its own small way. They are attacked by a hawk, also entertaining, and are forced to the ground. That is all good. But the very next scene is an abomination. They run into a caterpillar who claims to be the "spokes-bug" for the Great Owl. But as it turns out, Jeremy the crow (still voiced by Dom DeLuise) is really just posing as the Great Owl to scam the woodland animals out of their jewelry and credit cards.Well, the scene's even worse than that, as it's accompanied by a really irritating song.There are far too many songs in the film; all but two are forgettable. Many are badly-performed. The worst: "I Will Show the World," which Tim sings throughout his childhood. The lyrics are flimsy at best, and two of the singers (representing Tim at different ages) have no special singing talent. When Ralph Macchio, as the teenage Tim, takes over, it improves a tad, but not enough to save the song. But there is also a very good song, "Just Say Yes" performed with enormous spirit by Eric Idle. And his part in the film is a completely unexpected twist that though alarming, actually picks up the pace of the third act a bit.The animation is the film flips between atrocious and acceptable. There are moments where characters and objects appear out of nowhere in the middle of a shot. At another point, a returning character named Justin (now voiced by William H. Macy) changes color schemes with another rat. And the film is full of sloppy moments such as these. Other problems concern the screenplay, which, like everything else, toggles between good and bad. The first third is really slow-going, when Tim is a little kid, picks up some in the second act, but does not really come to life until the final part. And again, this really is because of Eric Idle's terrific work as the film's villain, whose identity I will keep secret. Mr. Idle, like any great actor, presents a tremendous amount of joy in his role, and this communes to the audience. Also, the romance between Tim and Jenny, though in sight from a mile away, is pleasant in a simplistic way.Voice acting, in general, is pretty good. Mr. Macchio, in particular, does a courageous job as Timothy. Mr. DeLuise also keeps Jeremy the crow lovable despite not having played the part for sixteen years. The film's saving grace is its running time: a mere sixty-eight minutes. Any longer than that - any more songs! - and it might have completely collapsed. But as it is, "The Secret of N.I.M.H. 2: Timmy to the Rescue" is a nice little kids movie, best suited for those under the age of ten. And its good parts - its wonderful parts - make me feel a little guilty for not being able to really commend it. For a straight-to-video quickie sequel, it stands over some, but not quite enough. For every good moment, there is also a bad one. And the sloppy animation and mostly-inept songs really do wear you out after a while.

allisonever I LOVED Secret of Nimh as a child. To this day, it is one of my all-time favorite films. But we live in dark times, ladies and gentlemen...times in which the money-hungry LOOK for ways to burn and destroy our precious childhood treasures. Thus is the legacy of the horrid Nimh 2, a cheap, laughable disgrace of a sequel. Let's play a game, shall we? We'll call it "Spot what is totally Irreverent to the first film". 1. Nicodemus NEVER made a prophecy about a Brisby son saving everyone. 2. The Thorn valley rats look NOTHING like their original counterparts. 3. WHY DO THE RATS FREAKING WORSHIP JONATHAN BRISBY?! WHEN WAS THAT EVER EXPRESSED IN THE FIRST FILM?!? I could go on all day, but I don't think that's necessary. The movie sucks the big one, end of story. The characters are flat, the voice acting is atrocious, and the story should have been put to sleep. Bottom line-it's just flat-out horrible. Yes, I suppose that it would entertain your kid for a while (though it also might ruin any semblance of intelligence they might have), but it just reeks of utter FAIL as a sequel to one of the most complex and beautifully-animated films of all time. So take my advice and stay FAR AWAY from this cartoonish nightmare. Go watch the original Nimh instead. It's worth every second of your time, unlike it's miserable neutered dog of a sequel.

TheLittleSongbird The original Secret of Nimh is an absolute masterpiece,(I do confess I saw this and the original fairly recently) with gorgeous animation, great characters and phenomenal music by the late Jerry Goldsmith, and is regarded by a vast majority including myself as Bluth's masterpiece. However, this sequel is awful in every aspect, and makes Rock a Doodle Doo, Troll in Central Park and almost all of the Disney sequels look like masterpieces, which of course they are definitely not. Sure it is a direct to video sequel, but the cheap production values really show here.The animation was horrid. The character animations were jarring, and the editing was very choppy. The colours made the backgrounds look extremely flat and dull, and the visual effects rarely impressed either.One of the highlights of the original was the music by the wonderful Jerry Goldsmith, who has also done magnificent scores for Legend and Rambo:First Blood. In the sequel, the music was dreadful,(lacking the darkness and lyricalism of the original's) and it was pretty evident that Goldsmith's score is sorely missed. "Just say yes" (I think it's called)is the only half decent song in the movie. And the singing was even worse, it was as if the vocalists thought they were singing in a school end of year production.The dialogue was pathetic, and held no correlation whatsoever to the original or the parts of the book I read. Some of it was extremely cheesy, it really was. Also it completely lacked the mystery and suspense of the first film.(sorry I'm comparing the whole time, and this is what I honestly feel) The plot was also unoriginal and unevenly paced, and inappropriately bright, compared to the darkness and sentiment of the original.It was also a shame that the characters that made the original so memorable didn't have a bigger part to play. Timmy came across as rather whiny and annoying, a far cry from Elizabeth Hartmann's sorrowful and poignant portrayal of Mrs Brisby who you hardly see in the sequel, and Dom DeLuise was nowhere near as funny as he was in the original. Justin's voice was dubbed, and quite poorly might I add. I also thought, and I am probably the only person to think this, that the villains were rather lame. Despite some spirited voice work from Eric Idle, the villain Martin was very bland, in everything he did and said. In the original, Jenner while not the best and most complex villain ever, was very convincing, a complete juxtaposition of the villain here.In conclusion, an awful sequel to a beautiful film. The only redeeming quality was the talented voice cast, who were given little to work with. I am truly sorry I am sounding like a broken record, and comparing the sequel to the original, but as honesty is the best policy, I'll be perfectly frank, and say I didn't like this movie at all. 1/10 (originally a 2, but it was worse when I saw it again to make sure I wasn't taking leave of my senses) Bethany Cox.