The Secret of NIMH

 

There is an argument to be had about the animation renaissance and when it truly began. Most would say it came with Disney and The Little Mermaid, but some may equate the changes began with Don Bluth and The Secret of NIMH. Released in 1982 the film was released to a modest fanfare making double its budget at the overall box office but the real success was on home video, the old reliable (back then) VHS market. Based on the book, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien, our heroine’s name changed to Brisby for the film due to trademark issues. The idea to adapt the book has originally been a possible project for Disney but they weren’t interested. Don Bluth felt there was a story needing to be told and he knew exactly how.

Recently widowed Mrs Brisby is in desperate need of help. Moving day has arrived early, Farmer Fitzgibbons is about the plough the field where she lives. But Timmy, one of her four children, is sick with pneumonia and cannot be moved. Advised by the wisest creature around, The Great Owl tells her to seek help to move her home from the mysterious and secretive rates that live in the rosebush. These aren’t just any rats, as they have a secret, just like Mrs Brisby’s husband Jonathan before he died, and these rats want something in return.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Santa Claus: The Movie

 

Fresh from the 80s is the restoration we didn’t know we needed. That Christmas film we all used to watch over the festive period and wonder why years later. Santa Claus: The Movie has everything a typical Christmas film needs; a Santa Claus origin story, a heartless toy manufacturer villain, a comedy icon using far too many elf puns, orphans ready for an adventure and some of the best costumes to come out of the North Pole. 

When a woodcutter, Claus and his wife, Anya, get caught in a blizzard, they are saved by elves who take them to their magical home in the North Pole. They are told by the elves that their arrival was prophesied and that it was Claus’ destiny to deliver presents to children around the world every Christmas Eve. Throughout the centuries, they all live harmoniously, changing with the times. But when the over eager elf, Patch, believes he needs to prove himself to Santa Claus, he runs away to modern day New York. Soon the naïve Patch ends up in the clutches of a corrupt toy manufacturer who intends to take over Christmas. It’s up to Santa Claus, with the help of some new friends to save Patch and restore Christmas.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Beanie Bubble

 

This is the year of the ‘product’ film, with several films about the origins of a particular product being explored. The Beanie Bubble fits very nicely between Flamin’ Hot, BlackBerry and Air, moving from the 80s into the 90s and banking on nostalgia to make us want to find out exactly what happened to the Beanie Babies bubble. Back in the mid-90s, you were either a collector or you knew a collector, there was no escaping the beanies and that inviting TY logo. 

Behind every great man, there’s always at least three women that he’s standing in front of. There are always a trinity of women, each having propped the man up, in a relationship with him or created ideas that he had stolen, The Beanie Bubble tells the story of the three women in Ty Warner’s life and how they helped him become a billionaire.

The full review is over at Filmhounds HERE.