Secret of Nimh Special Edition

I thought you all might find this interesting. Doing a search on Amazon.com for 'Secret of Nimh' brings up an entry for the new 2-Disc special edition DVD. Looks like it'll be released on June 19. I can't wait. :)

Here's the url=: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Nimh-2-Disc-Special/dp/B000OQDUNY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-6321279-4349462?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1176624369&sr=8-2[: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Nimh-2-Disc-Special/dp/B000OQDUNY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-6321279-4349462?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1176624369&sr=8-2

I'd like to know how people are reviewing this version before its out. (People obviously don't read.)

Is this the same one that Don Bluth was mentioning to be remastered?

I'm guessing that it is, but they may not have all of the correct details until it is released. If it's a 2-disc edition, then that has to mean bonus features, since the movie by itself fits just fine on a single disc. I don't even think the current DVD is dual-layer, even.

As far as the reviews go, it looks like they just attached the reviews from the existing version on it. See: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/6305161887/

Anyway, I'd keep a cautiously optomistic eye out on this one, though I'm going to wait until more details are out on it to buy it.

I just found this on DonBluth.com

"June 19th is the correct date for the release. What we've been told, even though we've objected to it, they plan on using the same packaging art as used with MGM's 2000 release. We believe this could be confusing and that the fans may think they are buying the same DVD that was available in 2000 and is still available on amazon at $7.95. We would prefer to have them use the poster art from 1982 and call the release the 25th Anniversary Edition, however, they want, deparately, to call this release the "Fox Family Fun Edition". At the end of the day, we just hope they come up with something that is specific to what this release is. Looking at the images on amazon.com we're definitely confused. Two DVDs with exactly the same art, one is from 2000 and is from the original 1" master, the second a two disc release, one of The Secret of NIMH, the second, "The Last Unicorn". I've brought this to their attention and they say that amazon's images and info is incorrect. So, we'll see where this goes. Thanks for writing and I hope if you pre-order, that you receive the latest, updated color version of the film with producer/director commentary and interviews."

What we've been told, even though we've objected to it, they plan on using the same packaging art as used with MGM's 2000 release. We believe this could be confusing and that the fans may think they are buying the same DVD that was available in 2000 and is still available on amazon at $7.95. We would prefer to have them use the poster art from 1982 and call the release the 25th Anniversary Edition, however, they want, deparately, to call this release the "Fox Family Fun Edition".

Ugh, I really hate that cover art! :? It's just as always that they tend to turn the whole franchise into "family fun" instead of just releasing it the way it was or with something new. If I wasn't informed and didn't take a closer look, I would have been confused. All the other 'special edition' DVDs changed their covers to distinguish themselves from the previous releases, wouldn't it be more appropriate to do the same thing not out of "family fun", but out of complete common sense?

lisighli Oh well, I'll just remove the cover art and replace it with the 1982 version from another DVD myself. Also, going back to the topic at hand, I remain fixed on June 19th and hope nothig else is toned down.

Hey Zohar,

I'm with you on this one. Infact, I would be in favor of them going back to the original artwork that was used on the first VHS release back in 1983/84.

Peace :)
NIMHmaniac

It may be me, but the product details look a bit odd. They list that it is only 1 disc, on the same page they are advertising it as a 2-disc special edition.

"The Last Uni-Corn"? I heard of it, but never saw it. It does sound interesting.

Looks like Amazon has updated the page again with some slightly different cover art, though it still uses the "new" art from the other release. They've also revised it down to one disc, though if the disc is dual-layered, it's still quite possible to stick a fair amount of special features on it, I'd imagine. It's still listed as widescreen, which should be interesting. I still don't agree with their cover art and marketing decisions--for gosh sake, if the thing is different from the DVD they've been putting out for the past few years, couldn't MGM at /least/ make it more obvious? Doesn't it only make sense to do so? Maybe the strategy is to discontinue the previous DVD and assume that only the real fanatics are going to be interested in repurchasing the DVD, and that they won't be confused by the whole cover art thing. Still, I'd think they'd jump at a chance to get more people to buy another DVD of a movie they already own. ;)

I don't know why MGM seems determined to always take a few steps backward whenever they make a few steps forward with regards to NIMH. Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna buy it, and I'm glad it'll at least have commentary (from what Bluth says), but I'd really hoped this release to be more of a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of NIMH than a simple "upgrade" from previous releases. Might as well just stick a "new and improved" sticker on it.

Here are the DVD covers side-by-side:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000OQDUNY.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V22456237_SS500_.jpg[" alt=""/img]
[img="]http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/6305161887.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS500_.jpg[" alt=""/img]

And the full text of the NIMH-related posts on the "Ask Us" page of donbluth.com (email addresses edited out for privacy):

Posted: 04/18/2007
From: Philip Renda
Subject: Secret Of Nimh - Remastered Finally !!!
Message: Hi Don/Gary, I just read on The Digital Bits website that a remastered Special Edition of The Secret Of NIMH is going to be released on DVD on June 19. Remastered edition including both letterboxed and fullscreen versions, with deleted scenes (!!!) and audio commentary by the both of you. All I can say is FINALLY !!! I posted a message here a couple of years ago, asking about the possibility of a Remastered Letterboxed Special Edition...at the time you said you would love to work on such a project, but it was entirely upto the studio....I guess MGM Home Video has finally woken up and decided to do some justice to the best animated film in their catalogue and one of the best animated films ever made....the only film that continues to have an emotional impact every time I watch it. The scene where Mrs. Brisby uses the stone to save her children is so powerful, whenever I hear Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful music in this scene (I have the soundtrack) it makes my spine tingle and makes my eyes well-up. At the time you also informed me that The Secret Of NIMH was filmed with a 1.33:1 apect ratio and therefore wouldn't benefit from letterboxing as we were seeing more of the animation on the 1.33:1 video screen than would have been seen on a matted 1.85:1 theatrical screen. Is this accurate?? Are we better off watching the FullScreen 1.33:1 version instead of the Letterboxed 1.85:1 (matted) version ?? http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents "Also newly announced by MGM today are The Secret of Nimh: The Family Fun Edition on 6/19 (SRP $19.98 - including both full frame and widescreen video, deleted scenes with audio commentary by directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, a 10-minute "making of" featurette and 5 set-top games)"

Reply: Philip, Thank you for writing. Yes, NIMH has had a new master created and I was there to supervise the color fixes. I don't know anything about "deleted scenes" being in the extras. I don't recall any deleted scenes in our first film. We were on a pretty tight schedule, in fact our schedule was even cut by 2 months (from 30 months down to 28 months, because the financiers and MGM/UA marketing wanted a fourth of July release. So everything we had done went on the screen. We usually try to edit at the storyboarding stage, before we spend money animating. The new color looks rich and saturated. The new master is HD and has been digitally cleaned of film negative scratches and dust, however, a standard TV definition print-master has been created from the new digital master for this particular re-release and it is supposed to have a full screen and a 1:1.85 letterboxed version to choose from, plus a Don & Gary commentary and a short, on-camera interview. I'm not aware of a 10 minute "making of" section or 5 set-top games. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is distributing for MGM/UA and this first release is called the "Fox Family Fun Edition". Hopefully, when they release the 16X9 HD Blu Ray version, it will be titled 25th Anniversary Edition and not necessarily be geared towards kids. We sure would like to see the packaging art stand out among all those other "family films".Regards.url==http://=http:///url Gary
Reply Posted: 04/19/2007

Posted: 04/13/2007
From: Brian Harris
Subject: Secret of NIMH
Message: A new 2-disc special edition has been listed on Amazon for June 19th release and I can't say how much I'm looking forward to it and I plan to buy the HD version as it becomes available too. I have one specific question on this release. Will it still use the new cover artwork or were you able to get them to revert back to the original? I would assume you were not pleased with the recent piece they did.

Reply: Brian, not really sure yet. June 19th is the correct date for the release. What we've been told, even though we've objected to it, they plan on using the same packaging art as used with MGM's 2000 release. We believe this could be confusing and that the fans may think they are buying the same DVD that was available in 2000 and is still available on amazon at $7.95. We would prefer to have them use the poster art from 1982 and call the release the 25th Anniversary Edition, however, they want, deparately, to call this release the "Fox Family Fun Edition". At the end of the day, we just hope they come up with something that is specific to what this release is. Looking at the images on amazon.com we're definitely confused. Two DVDs with exactly the same art, one is from 2000 and is from the original 1" master, the second a two disc release, one of The Secret of NIMH, the second, "The Last Unicorn". I've brought this to their attention and they say that amazon's images and info is incorrect. So, we'll see where this goes. Thanks for writing and I hope if you pre-order, that you receive the latest, updated color version of the film with producer/director commentary and interviews. Thank you for writing. Regards, Gary
Reply Posted: 04/14/2007

Posted: 04/05/2007
From: Adam McDaniel
Subject: NIMH retrospective
Message: I'm happy to learn that www.aintitcoolnews.com, a popular site about the entertainment industry, will soon be including a discussion of THE SECRET OF NIMH as part of their look back at 1982 as "the best genre year ever." (I'd volunteered to write about it, only to be informed that someone else was already on top of it!) Naturally, we're all very excited about the film's upcoming DVD re-release, and hope that it's given the comprehensive, deluxe, "all out" treatment that it deserves. Any news or details to share with us yet? "Making of" interviews with the animators and surviving voice cast? Is there anything you wish could have been included that wasn't? I know, I know...we'll probably just have to wait, but it's been 25 years now, so you can't accuse us of being impatient. :) I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the film now, as well as its large cult following. As much as people love and enjoy your other films, it's fair to say that "NIMH" is the one that you guys will be known for...and will still be enjoyed another 25, even 50 years from now. Heartfelt regards, Adam McDaniel

Reply: Adam, Thank you for writing. Actually, this re-release will not be the HD Blu-Ray release, but it will have the color corrections made by Gary and the new master was digitally cleaned up and ridded of scratches and dust by the technical people hired by Fox Home Entertainment (for MGM/UA). The HD version will come out later. The folks at Fox Home Entertainment marketing have decided that this first re-release will not be the "25th Aniversary Edition" but a Fox Family Fun Edition, with a Fox Home Entertainment choice of cover art and an edited interview to service family audiences. It will also have a producer/director commentary over the film as part of the extras. We provided the Extras producer with several links and leads to materials that could be used in the extras but I do not believe that interviews were done with the likes of Dom DeLuis, or Wil Wheaton, or Shannen Doherty, or the beloved Derek Jacobi. That would have been great. There are a lot of the animators who have gone on to have great careers and some have even directed animated features. Maybe for the HD Blu-Ray version we can get the extras producer to go after these contributors and expand the backstories of many of those involved. Hopefully, you and all the other fans will enjoy the color-corrected remastered film, and the extras that have been made for this release. By the way, we haven't seen a release copy yet, only the remastered digital copy on professional equipment...but it looks great!
Reply Posted: 04/11/2007

Here are the DVD covers side-by-side:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000OQDUNY.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V22456237_SS500_.jpg[" alt=""/img]
[img="]http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/6305161887.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS500_.jpg[" alt=""/img][/quote]
Well, between the two of them, the top one is updated with a new logo and bolder colors.

I should clarify that the top one is the new one.

While I'm glad that the movie is finally being rereleased, I just can't stand how MGM keeps treating this movie like its second rate. "Family Fun Edition" sounds very corny and uninspired. It should have its own cover and should celebrate this great movies' 25th Anniversary. I never really liked that cover. I dont feel it accurately portays the movie at all. Its marketed as some movie generally "Just for Kids". This movie has a reputation for being dark and insightful, and the packaging should reflect that.

I'm also very weary about how the actually DVD will be. Knowing how MGM has treated this movie in the past, they will find some way to mess it up. The colors and quality will be better, I just hope theres enough extras in there to satifify us. But for some reason I doubt it.

Wait a minute. I think I heard somewhere it was originally intended to be made for a more mature audience, because children weren't expected to understand it. Where is the "Family Fun" in that?

Oh, Ced, Ced, Ced. Don't you know? Obviously, if a movie is animated, it must be child-safe, of course!

/sarcasm.

I can't say I liloveli the new cover, but I'm just thrilled they're coming out with a special edition, period. Perhaps there will be a lecture of sharp-object safety, hosted by Jenner, Justin and Sullivan?

--Meg

Oh, Ced, Ced, Ced. Don't you know? Obviously, if a movie is animated, it must be child-safe, of course!

/sarcasm.

Perhaps there will be a lecture of sharp-object safety, hosted by Jenner, Justin and Sullivan?

--Meg

Don't forget an anti-drug ad, you can't have it "family fun" without it. :P

Justin - "I wouldn't be able to lift a sword or duel if I smoked marijuana.
Jenner - "Did you know that 60 million people worldwide die because of cigarettes"

:lol: I'm sorry I couldn't help myself. Then again, it could really happen. At the end of All Dogs go to Heaven they had Dom DeLuise (voice of Itchy) appear for about 10 seconds just to say "Hi, I'm Itchy. Eh-he-he-he! Just here to tell you to don't do drugs. It's bad for you, and bad for you parents."

Anyway, one thing I am proud of is that they seemed to have changed the MGM logo back to the way it was instead of having that wimpy lion cub with "MGM Kids" written on it.

That thing was too little to purr, let alone roar.
I think you also left out the violence lesson with the gang.

Justin-"Remember, we are trained professionals..."
Sullivan-"And this is only a movie."
Jenner-"So don't ever try this at home or at school. You could hurt someone or worse, get into trouble. If you feel the need for violence...get some serious help"

While I'm not thrilled at their ass dvd cover, I wont sweat it as I can simply replace it with the cover from my old NIMH dvd (I grabbed it way back when the cover was still respectable). I suppose I could even replace the disc cover with a better image if I felt so inclined...unless it's a flipper. In which case I will be...perturbed... :evil:

Yeah the old cover is good but the updated 2003 and 2007 versions are okay.

I've got the new DVD and I'm checking it out now. I'm suitably impressed so far. I'll write a full review later.

From what I've heard about the special features on the internet. I'd get it, even though I already have two copies of it on the old DVD.