A Q&A session with Don Bluth Studios on the film's 20th anniversary
DBS: Sounds like the Nuart folks need to balance their dolby system and check their audio levels. Most theaters are rather negligent with this regard. When we first premiered NIMH at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and The Century Theater in Century City back in 1982, Gary Goldman and Jerry Goldsmith worked with technicians from MGM/UA and Dolby to "tune" those two theaters before the opening. The sound played fantastically. But when Gary went on the promotional tour for the film, he heard the sound in 26 different theaters across the country, and not one of them played their sound very well. This has been an ongoing concern of filmmakers and sound designers. Quality control is a major element when presenting a film. Lucas offers a quality control service that will spot check theaters for distributors. We used it for the release of ANASTASIA (20th Century Fox, 1997). Looks like the Nuart needs some Quality control. We're sorry that the NIMH experience was damaged by the poor sound presentation.
AM: I felt a tinge of melancholy while leaving the theater. Perhaps seeing the film onscreen made me review it in a different light. It struck me -- while NIMH is one of my all time favorite films, it's not the sort of movie in which you stand up and cheer. It works subtly, the emotions are restrained and nostalgic, and in spite of some comic relief (ex: Jeremy the crow), there is a serious tone to the film. That's why I love it so, mind you, but that's perhaps another reason why NIMH is not the traditional crowd-pleaser. And while the Brisbys are victorious at the conclusion, there's a bittersweet sadness to everything that's happened.
DBS: Regarding the traditional crowd pleasing issue, you're right, we tried for a more sophisticated approach to this story. We really wanted to reach back to the animated feature film stories like Bambi or Pinocchio or Cinderella -- to bring dramatics and subtle humor to the medium that we felt had been missing for some time. We were criticized at the time that the film was too dark. But that was our intent. We wanted to make the film interesting for all ages -- not just children.
AM: I think such bittersweet feelings are multiplied in my heart because NIMH remains something of a privately discovered treasure that the mass audience will never really know. While cable and home video have made the film very popular, I'm sad that it's unlikely NIMH will ever be fully, wholeheartedly embraced by anyone other than...us.
DBS: Over the years, many people (fans of the film) have contacted us and really appreciate what the message of the film is and also consider the film a real "treasure", emotionally. The film does work on TV, but it has much greater impact on the big screen.
AM: MGM released the film on DVD some years ago; it was one of their earliest titles. But I suspect MGM did not put the love and care into the endeavor as other recent DVDs. I have written to the marketing department of feature film and home video for MGM/UA, recommending that an expanded DVD version of the film would not only be wholeheartedly embraced by fans, but also a very commercially viable project. If they needed proof, I suggested that they do a basic search throughout the internet -- there are COUNTLESS fan page websites and fan-related art, and NIMH merchandise are, when available, hot items on eBay's roster! If a full-scale theatrical re-release isn't viable, than certainly a revamped, restored DVD is in order. Do you know of any other theatrical screenings for NIMH in the near future -- even if it is just a limited engagement? Are there any newly struck prints in existance?
DBS: We appreciate that you have written to MGM/UA. Have you received a response?
AM: No, not yet. But in fairness to them, it was sent recently.
DBS: Maybe more people should write in. We're not sure that they would take the time and the money to do a "real" survey on whether a re-release of a new DVD, or even a theatrical re-release, would work. We think that a re-release of NIMH would work as well as/or better than the re-release of E.T., just because it is animated (and because we don't have the kids say lines like "penis breath"). If they did the re-release theatrically, then a new DVD would be most appropriate. We'd be glad to provide the audio tracks for the behind the scenes issues. We are not aware of any near-future screenings of NIMH (however, we are showing a "studio" print, from the original negative, at our talk at the Savannah School of Art and Design in May). We are not aware of any new prints being struck. We believe that there are about 300 release prints in MGM/UA's vaults that are in good enough shape to be used in a re-release. Maybe if you got a mass campaign going on all the NIMH websites, to have fans write to MGM/UA about a re-release or a new DVD, you could get MGM/UA's attention. You don't have to convince us.
Don Bluth's company published an issue of TOON TALK, dealing with a NIMH retrospective. In it, Bluth provides a moving description of his experience in working with Hartman. You can buy this issue through their website, DonBluth.com..