Animated movies have come soooooo far in the last 40 years. Since the invention of the computer and its applications to animated feature films, cartoon characters now look almost as if they were real. The attention to detail that these animators put in is incredible, which is why it takes several years to complete just one animated movie.
Animated and non-animated movies have one very important thing in common; no matter how you slice it, if it isn't a good story, it's not worth seeing, no matter how good the animation is. (For example, Final Fantasy was amazing to look at, but not much fun to watch.)
You can't even compare TSON with modern-day animated films like Shrek and Finding Nemo, in the respect of sophistication. Those films, along with all the other Pixar movies, will stand as classics because of their ground-breaking techniques. On a pure story-line basis, however, I would stack TSON against any animated movie, period.
This movie was specifically aimed at kids, which is what I was when I first saw it. But even with my childhood years well behind me, I am ever amazed by how much I still enjoy watching this movie. The characters are engaging and sympathetic, and the actors playing their voices did so were well chosen for their roles.
Yes, this movie is a lot more serious and dark than any cartoon movie that Disney has ever put out. Yes, small children may well be frightened by it. But where is it written that animated movies, even movies made for children, have to be happy movies? This movie deals with the highly controversial topic of animal experimentation, and that's something that even kids should know about.
Mrs. Brisby, as courageous a mouse as has ever been drawn, has lost her husband and has just learned that her youngest son is seriously ill. He cannot be moved or he might die, which is compounded by the fact that the day the tractor comes to plow the field ("Moving Day") is rapidly approaching.
Many movies have shown what lengths a desperate mother will go to to save her children, but few have done it better than this one. Despite her emotional fragility, Mrs. Brisby takes on the farmer's evil cat and then the tractor itself. She then embarks upon a perilous journey where she must seek the advice of the Great Owl ("Owls EAT mice!"), and from there to the rats who escaped, with her late husband, from NIMH.
There are plenty of scary moments: the chase scene with Dragon; the tractor scene; Mrs. Brisby's encounter with Brutus, the rat guarding the entrance to the rat's lair; and finally, the final scene where she must save her home and her children from a terrible death. But to counteract the darkness of the overall theme, there's one character who was added to lighten the mood and make us laugh: Jeremy, the friendly but clumsy crow, voiced superbly by Dom DeLuise. (The bit at the end where he trips over Cynthia ALWAYS makes me bust out laughing.)
Having read the book, I'm not sure how I felt about the addition of the magical elements the movie incorporated; it was never really explained where the "stones" came from or how the rats got them. But in the big picture, I can forgive this irregularity for the effect the movie had on me.
If you are reading this review, having not yet seen this movie, I would highly recommend watching it. The animation is wonderful (even though it's 20+ years old), and the dialogue and characters are so genuine you'd swear they were real. The story line is bold and intriguing, with enough memorable heroes and villains to make it worth seeing it over and over again.
A definite 10.
Animated and non-animated movies have one very important thing in common; no matter how you slice it, if it isn't a good story, it's not worth seeing, no matter how good the animation is. (For example, Final Fantasy was amazing to look at, but not much fun to watch.)
You can't even compare TSON with modern-day animated films like Shrek and Finding Nemo, in the respect of sophistication. Those films, along with all the other Pixar movies, will stand as classics because of their ground-breaking techniques. On a pure story-line basis, however, I would stack TSON against any animated movie, period.
This movie was specifically aimed at kids, which is what I was when I first saw it. But even with my childhood years well behind me, I am ever amazed by how much I still enjoy watching this movie. The characters are engaging and sympathetic, and the actors playing their voices did so were well chosen for their roles.
Yes, this movie is a lot more serious and dark than any cartoon movie that Disney has ever put out. Yes, small children may well be frightened by it. But where is it written that animated movies, even movies made for children, have to be happy movies? This movie deals with the highly controversial topic of animal experimentation, and that's something that even kids should know about.
Mrs. Brisby, as courageous a mouse as has ever been drawn, has lost her husband and has just learned that her youngest son is seriously ill. He cannot be moved or he might die, which is compounded by the fact that the day the tractor comes to plow the field ("Moving Day") is rapidly approaching.
Many movies have shown what lengths a desperate mother will go to to save her children, but few have done it better than this one. Despite her emotional fragility, Mrs. Brisby takes on the farmer's evil cat and then the tractor itself. She then embarks upon a perilous journey where she must seek the advice of the Great Owl ("Owls EAT mice!"), and from there to the rats who escaped, with her late husband, from NIMH.
There are plenty of scary moments: the chase scene with Dragon; the tractor scene; Mrs. Brisby's encounter with Brutus, the rat guarding the entrance to the rat's lair; and finally, the final scene where she must save her home and her children from a terrible death. But to counteract the darkness of the overall theme, there's one character who was added to lighten the mood and make us laugh: Jeremy, the friendly but clumsy crow, voiced superbly by Dom DeLuise. (The bit at the end where he trips over Cynthia ALWAYS makes me bust out laughing.)
Having read the book, I'm not sure how I felt about the addition of the magical elements the movie incorporated; it was never really explained where the "stones" came from or how the rats got them. But in the big picture, I can forgive this irregularity for the effect the movie had on me.
If you are reading this review, having not yet seen this movie, I would highly recommend watching it. The animation is wonderful (even though it's 20+ years old), and the dialogue and characters are so genuine you'd swear they were real. The story line is bold and intriguing, with enough memorable heroes and villains to make it worth seeing it over and over again.
A definite 10.