Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (etc.)

Juuchan17 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:37 am

JerseyCaptain wrote:

ROFL, you're the best, Jooch! (heh - nickname time!)

No prob . . . I like nicknames. (Actually that one make me go LOL . . . XD)

Quote:

What we need are fan fictions for this milieu! (RESPECTFUL ones...) :wink:

AMEN to that! I have heard of fansites for NIMH (the film (Note: I'm only counting the original . . . seriously who would want to destroy the sequel any further?) and the books) have their own characters that interact with the rats and the Brisby/Frisby family (I had to mention both . . . because book and movie = two different worlds . . . clearly) and the such, but I have yet to read them.

Try a search on Google or something, and you'll probably find some good fics that respect the original tales.

- Juuchan17

Juuchan17 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 07, 2008 1:11 pm

*just re-read the original book* Wow. I remembered things that I didn't remember from previous readings! The film was more sci-fi/fantasy with a bit of realism and personification mixed into it, but the original tale itself . . . it's real, it's still rather sci-fi, but you really can feel some sort of emotion for each character that is introduced, even the humans themselves! I never really noticed these things before, and now I have a much stronger bond to the book.

Now, I can re-read the first sequel and things will hopefully make more sense the second time around. (Heck, anything to get away from the horror that is NIMH 2 . . . LOL)

- Juuchan17

Juuchan17 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:27 pm

JerseyCaptain wrote:

ROFL - it's great to come back around to one's favorite books years later, hm? I re-read this book a few years back for the first time since first reading it as a eight or nine year old kid...and the experience was profound! I gained a whole new appreciation for it as well, and the characters (and the depth of the story), but it was also rather nostalgic. I could look back and see myself, as a young boy, reading and thoroughly enjoying the book, and imagining how cool it'd be to meet Mrs. Frisby, or Justin, or the Great Owl. Or Nicodemus. Or even Jeremy or Mrs. Shrew. lol

The cartoon, when I first saw that a few years after first reading the book, was magic for me! Even if it does take a slightly different path from the original story.

Yeah, it's always good to experience all-time favorites again.

Actually, if you compare some characters in the book to their movie counterparts, that makes for some interesting fun. At least the shrew was less annoying in the book than in the film (She was quite a filler character nonetheless, adding a bit of comedy into the dramtic seriousness of the main situation), as was Jeremy (although I have quite a fondness for Jeremy in the film - comedic, yet helpful . . . and voiced by one of the most-recognizable voices in recent (1980s-2000s) animation - We Love You!). However, I feel that Mrs. Brisby/Frisby remained strong yet motherly in both versions, seeking the necessary courage whenever she needed it at the right time.

I still wish Timothy had more speaking parts in the film though - although he was sick, he was quite a talker in the book, but he was wise, speaking things far beyond his years. That would have been nice (at least anything would have been better than NIMH 2, right?).

- Juuchan17

Juuchan17 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:55 am

JerseyCaptain wrote:

Oh I rather like the way Ms. Shrew ("Auntie Shrew"), Mr. Ages, and Jeremy are portrayed in the cartoon. MUCH different than in the book! And in each case, a little more on the comical side (well, MUCH more in fact).

Actually . . . me too. Yes, they were more comedic than they should have been IMO, but I guess all the drama of the danger and conflict would have scared little kids out of their jammies. Besides, the comedy made it more human-like in my opinion.

Quote:

I mean, Jeremy is quaint as a young heroic crow in the book, but his portrayal there is rather bland. Ms. Shrew is a bit spunkier, but not as persnickety, nosey and interfering as she is in the cartoon (though, in the book, I like how she bravely faces down the rats at the Frisby home, rather than cowering inside as in the cartoon when she hears them show up). And Mr. Ages is absolutely more dynamic and enjoyable in the cartoon, evolving from a wise old helpful doctor (albeit a good and essential character, if rather uninspired and dry in the book) to a fussy, grouchy, "suspicious old goat" in the cartoon (as Justin calls him... :lol:

).

You know, Justin was a bit different in both versions too (and don't get me started with NIMH2 Justin . . . GAH. Horrid . . . even worse than NIMH2 Mr. Ages!), but I kinda liked him in the book more. However, I swear I felt some sparks fly when he first met Mrs. Brisby . . . (lots of people believe they could even be a couple!) But yeah, Justin's lines in the film . . . priceless. (And he got to swear too! HA!)

Quote:

Yeah, it would have been more interesting to hear Timothy talk more. Perhaps that opening scene from the book, or the epilogue, would have done well for the movie. I suppose those scenes didn't show because of the usual reasons: 1) they were not essential to the telling of the story on screen, and 2) they had to cut the story down to standard movie length (unlike today, it would have been QUITE unusual, in the early 80s when The Secret of NIMH was released theatrically, for a movie to exceed an hour and about fifty-odd minutes in length. It was just hardly ever done...even if people tend to have even less of an attention span today as opposed to the early 80s. ROFL).

I know - but also, he wasn't as big of a character as the book made him to be. His only purpose in the film (as well as the book itself) was to give his mother that courage, that drive to save her family no matter what dangers she had to face. Now if he got a chance to speak like he did in the book, that would have been a better set-up for a sequel (not like that crap of a prophecy and stupid stuff like that mentioned at the very beginning of NIMH 2 . . . *gags*).

Also, the mice designs for the children weren't exactly to the book's specifications IMO . . . although I think the only one that was the closest was Timothy's - he looked like his father yet he was frail and fragile. Perfect (again, nowhere close to the crappy sequel . . . BLAH)

- Juuchan17

Rusty the Fox · **Posted:** Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:16 am

Oh man, it's been a long time since I last watched the original movie. Even longer since the last time I read the book. JC, you might have just sparked a rereading of the story in me. lol

Even though it's been a while since the last time I saw the animated sequel, I don't really see it as the worst movie, or, at some angles, a bad one. While it is known for DTV's seem to never correctly play off the original, I still find them enjoyable to watch.

I'm just a big sucker for anything animated, even in cases like these. XD

Rusty the Fox · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:04 pm

JerseyCaptain wrote:

Rusty the Fox wrote:

Oh man, it's been a long time since I last watched the original movie. Even longer since the last time I read the book. JC, you might have just sparked a rereading of the story in me. lol

Even though it's been a while since the last time I saw the animated sequel, I don't really see it as the worst movie, or, at some angles, a bad one. While it is known for DTV's seem to never correctly play off the original, I still find them enjoyable to watch.

I'm just a big sucker for anything animated, even in cases like these. XD

I am sure you'll enjoy the re-read as much as I and Juuchan17 have!

However, I suspect that you're alone with regard to your opinion about the sequel to the animated movie. :lol:

Probably. My ways of thinking have put me in similar situations before. I should be use to it. XD

Animation Source Forums

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (etc.)