NIMH II has a Secret

Okay this was a rant I made when I was bored one day and it got rather large so I'm gonna post it in parts.

Here be part I:

I saw this movie once when my family rented it for reasons beyond my comprehension. I knew it was bad -- I'd seen the cover and checked out the synopsis (such as it was) on the back of the video case -- but I was also a large enough fan of the original that I felt that perhaps, just perhaps, some of that magic may have transfered to this direct to dumpster creation. I watched and quickly such hopes were snuffed out like a candle light. And so was my one experience with The Secret of NIMH II: Timmy's Destruction of a Classic.

But something about that movie nagged at me, especially after I was exposed to fanfic ideas for a sequel that truly smacked of fanboy fantasy. No offence, but I'm glad a fan didn't make the sequel. And as pissed off as this may make those ardent folks, it allowed a kind of reassessment of the sequel and I came to a startling discovery. Fact was, as bad as it was, NIMH II had a lot of good ideas. In truth, using the same basic plot that is in that movie, given a few obvious changes, they could've made movie worthy of the title Sequel to the Secret of NIMH.

Lets look at it from in terms of pure plot concept. Timmy is sent to Thorn Valley as some sort of prophecy. His brother's angry with envy cause he don't get to know. Once there, Timmy finds out his brother has been taken to NIMH and he must go there to save him only to find out the experiments his brother endured have made him mad and so a battle royale between bros. ensues as Timmy tries to save his brother from himself. Actually that doesn't sound like a half bad idea. So how'd they fuzz it up? Simply put, plot confusion and poor flow (in terms of pre-production by the way, we'll deal with art and animation later). First off, they put Thorn Valley before the brother's capture. Having his bro captured at the beginning woulda streamlined the whole thing and made for a much smoother story. Timmy's got a goal, a journey to take and character arc all setup in one event. Bam!

All it would take was a very small change to the basic idea to make a good film out of that horrible monstrocity...mind blowing eh? But wait, there's more...in part II.

i agree the movie could have been done better and i hope they redue it. however the many alterations that came from the deslike off the movie make it interesting their is probably still an interest in secret of nimh.

I have an opinion that that movie isn't the best movie overall, but if it changes dynamically in characters, songs (change or erase most of them), and many more things, it will be a good movie. The reason I think is that if I think abou tit carefully, the PLOT isn't THAT bad. The main point is that the movie should be darker like it was in the original, change some of the characters (like keeping Brutus the way he was in the original) and the Evil Martin issue MUST be changed. Martin could change in some way, but not the way he did in NIMH 2 and there should be someone controlling him instead of HIM being the actual villain (Temple od Doom-ish maybe). But I think it's impossible to remake NIMH2 as a movie, a fan fiction remake might be better...

I used to like that movie when I was like nine...(head-desk head-desk, head-desk head-desk) but I'd love to see a fanfic remake of it...I would really like that, anyone up to it...... not me I would fuzz it up beyond belief. (I'm just a spazzy little crossover writer that exists to annoy lisighli)

Anyone?

I admit I liked the movie when I first saw it (soon after I saw the original in 4th grade). I still have the tape my parents copied it to when we rented it so long ago (miracle: I haven't copied over it yet).
On the bad notes they fuzzed up: you forgot to mention the sounds, called music, that would make Bach roll over in his grave.

About a fan sequel, if I thought I was any good at such things I would be up to it. I even know of an ameteur video-production club I could hire to do it, if they could do animation.

I never got 'round to the part II all those years ago. I think because no one really payed attention, so there wasn't much reason. Imagine my surprise when I happen back here and find the topic is suddenly fresh on top. :shock:


Back then, the destruction of the classic by way of the sequal was pretty hot in my mind, but time has cooled my jets, so this'll be a (prolly) a bit quicker. If I remember correctly, I was basically just gonna talk about what could have been done to improve the flick. So I guess I can finish it up here...with Part II:

What could have improved the film as was shown is - in my eyes - nothing. While the plot itself is the only intrigueing aspect of the thing, none of it could be redeemed. Every concept is just too far from what should have been, nothing -- from the animation, the inclusion of song 'n dance numbers, the voice talent could have been 'tweaked' to work. The entire thing would have to be started from square one. So let's do that.

My version of Secret of NIMH II

Movie opens with the two brothers out on the farm. This beginning would be used to set up the personalities of the brothers and establish their relationship. Martin would be pompous, impulsive, sarcastic, pretty typical stuph really, but with a sub-text of self-loathing. I always viewed Martin as a child tortured by his insecurities. He's smart as a whip, but unwilling to believe that he's anything more than a dumb lug and so acts the part with a sense of bitterness. He'd be jealous of his brother's intellectual nature and he'd percieve that their mother loved Timmy more than him. Timmy would be as his name suggests, timid, thoughtful and rather flighty, with also a sub-text of insecurity. He views his brother with a kind of hero worship, envying his ability to face danger while he would cringe back. Tim is nervous cause his brother is taking him to explore the old rose bush. Ever since Martin heard about the rats, he's been fascinated by them and the power they wielded and wants to know everything he can about them. This worries his mother, who forbids him from going farther than the tall grass of the field (or pick yer own boundary point). Timmy, is being dragged along due to Martin teasing him for constantly being a 'momma's boy'. They explore the rose bush at the worst possible time as NIMH comes by to inspect it as well. The rose bush gets demolished, Martin gets caught and Timmy's left feeling guilty about being unable to save his brother.

When Mrs Brisby finds out, she immediately decides she must find the NIMH institute and get her son back. First she'll get Jeremy to fly her to thorn valley, since she doesn't know where the NIMH institute is, but they do. Timmy pleads with Jeremy to take him instead and leaves without her knowledge. But neither of them know where the valley is. But Jeremy knows where the great owl lives, and the owl may know about the valley. They go the owl's tree only to find it long been abandoned and infested with spiders (I envision a big action set piece with a swarm of spiders chasing Timmy to the top of the tree before Jeremy is able to pick him up and save him). They escape, but not before Timmy finds out through clues left in the lair the location of Thorn Valley.

Meanwhile, Martin gets locked up in NIMH only to find out he's not alone. A whole slew of mice are there as well, including a young girl mouse who's been rendered blind by the experiments done to her, but now has the ability to see into the future, though at great physical cost (seizure, severe headaches...pick yer poison). This ability has the other mice worshiping her as a messiah of sorts who will lead them to freedom. Martin, though intrigued by such power, decides the first order of business is to escape. The mice I view are basically insane, reverting a more primitive sense of order - like them kids in the third Mad Max film - and the girl mouse has reverted to an almost child-like state from all the stress.

That's about the halfway mark. I'll post more after I take a breather.