The Fitzgibbon's Mill

I always found the scene where Mrs. Brisby climbs the waterwheel away from Dragon really cool. There was no reference to a watermill in the book, so I thought this was cool that they had one in the movie.

I loved mills when I was a little kid.

Anyone know why they chose to add this to the scenery?

Also I was wondering if the mill was falling down, like Justin said it was, why the waterwheel was still turning. Any ideas?

I think they mentioned that Bluth just wanted to throw it in during the commentary track.

To answer the question, I suppose that no one bothered to pull the wheel out of the water and just left it to fall off on its own. Combine that with the rusted out thresher that Mr. Ages made his home in and I get the idea that Fitzgibons was a pretty lazy farmer. His characterization in the movie kind of makes him look more like a 9-5 desk jockey who decided to buy a farm and move away from city life.

hahahaha Fitzgibbons was a pretty lazy farmer. Never heard that one before.

I suppose that no one bothered to pull the wheel out of the water and just left it to fall off on its own. Combine that with the rusted out thresher that Mr. Ages made his home in and I get the idea that Fitzgibons was a pretty lazy farmer. His characterization in the movie kind of makes him look more like a 9-5 desk jockey who decided to buy a farm and move away from city life.

Actually, it is pretty common place around farms as far as I've seen around my place. I still have a grandmother who has old farm houses and equipment that have been lying around for years rusting and deteriorating in the sun. I even had to attend a small farm we had in the woods that ended up being cluttered with unused and broken machinery.

When large equipment breaks or goes out and we don't have the money or the time to fix it or move it, its' just pretty much left to rot. >.>;

Interesting note: Don Bluth grew up on a farm so he probably has a lot of knowledge about farm life. A farm was the setting for his first independent project "Banjo: The Woodpile Cat". During the commentary track Don says he asked his dad to go inside his thresher to take pictures for the film.

I would like to see this COMMENTARY people speak of.

Link please.

Its on the two-disc DVD.

And Don Bluth says he wanted to throw the mill in?