The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy To The Rescue



The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue is a 1998 direct-to-video animated film produced by MGM Animation and the sequel to the 1982 animated film The Secret of NIMH. In the film, Timothy Brisby, the youngest son of Jonathan and Mrs. Brisby, goes to Thorn Valley wanting to become a hero like his father. Martin is missing and it is up to Timmy and his partner Jenny to confront him and get the rats back. At Thorn Valley, Timothy learns from a young girl mouse that the mice who were presumed to have been killed during the escape from NIMH are still alive, so he and the rats mount a rescue operation.

The film, although a sequel, was created without Don Bluth's support or input. The film is unrelated to Racso and the Rats of NIMH, the sequel to the book on which the original film was based.

Contents
[hide]
 * 1 Plot
 * 2 Cast
 * 3 Reception
 * 4 Soundtrack listing
 * 5 References
 * 6 External links

Plot[edit]
The film begins with a prophecy, telling how one of Jonathan and Mrs. Brisby's sons would save Thorn Valley from the "secret of NIMH". Timothy is chosen to go but his older brother Martin believes he should have been the one chosen. Martin decides to prove his quality, and goes off to find his own adventure.

One day Timmy comes across a female field mouse named Jenny McBride, whose parents were two of the lost eight mice who tried to escape NIMH but were thought to have died. The Thorn Valley council decides it would be too dangerous to save the eight mice, so Jenny and Timmy go alone. They take a hot air balloon, but it is attacked by a hawk and crashes in the forest.

Seeking help, they visit the Great Owl but instead find Jeremy the crow, posing as the Great Owl. They there learn that a caterpillarnamed Cecil has teamed up with Jeremy to trick the forest animals into paying them money. Jeremy and Cecil take the two mice to NIMH where they find two of the rats from Thorn Valley, Justin and Brutus. They also learn that Dr. Valentine, the head scientist, has made Martin insane. After being made insane, Martin took over the lab and brainwashed Dr. Valentine with a device similar to the one Valentine used on him and made him think he was a dog. Martin plans to use an army of lab rats riding a flock of ravens to take over Thorn Valley. He even turns two cats crazy, which catch the others.

He asks Timmy to join him, but he refuses and is locked in a cage as Martin drags Jenny away to make her his queen. Timmy escapes with the help of Cecil and they go to free Jenny. Together, they knock out Martin and Timmy tricks Martin's army of ravens and rats to fly in the wrong direction. Timmy and Jenny then leave to find the others, only to find once everyone is free that NIMH is on fire. The survivors (Timmy, Jenny, and her parents, as well as Justin and Brutus) flee. Timmy goes back to save Martin. Before he leaves, Jenny tells him she loves him and he tells her the same. After being attacked by the crazy cats once again, Timmy sends them down an elevator shaft and finally finds Martin.

Timmy and Martin are able to escape through the lab's skylight, with some help from Jeremy. Jeremy takes the survivors to safety. The mice return to Thorn Valley, Martin returns to normal and Timmy arrives to a hero's welcome by the citizens of Thorn Valley, including Justin, Brutus, Mr. Ages, and Auntie Shrew, along with Mrs. Brisby and Martin's and Timmy's sisters, Teresa and Cynthia.

Cast[edit]

 * Ralph Macchio - Timmy Brisby at 17
 * Dom DeLuise - Jeremy
 * Eric Idle - Evil Martin Brisby
 * Peter MacNicol - Narrator
 * William H. Macy - Justin
 * Arthur Malet - Mr. Ages
 * Hynden Walch - Jenny McBride
 * Andrea Martin - Muriel
 * Harvey Korman - Floyd
 * Meshach Taylor - Cecil
 * Phillip Glasser - Redeemed Martin Brisby at 19
 * Phillip Van Dyke - Young Martin Brisby
 * Andrew Ducote - Timmy Brisby at 10
 * Alexander Strange - Timmy Brisby at 13
 * Debi Mae West - Mrs. Brisby
 * Doris Roberts - Auntie Shrew
 * Steve Mackall - Dr. Valentine
 * Darlene Carr - Helen
 * Jamie Cronin - Teresa Brisby
 * Whitney Claire Kaufman - Cynthia Brisby
 * Jameson Parker - Troy
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Brutus
 * Frank Welker - Killer the Bulldog

Reception[edit]
Upon its release, the film received largely negative reviews by critics and fans of the first movie. Entertainment Weekly '​s Marc Bernardin gave the sequel a C- grade and said, "Alas, this Bluth-less direct-to-tape sequel [...], about a mouse's transformation from misfit to hero, has none of the original's heart or craft, and all of the sappy songwriting and patchwork plotting common to further adventures."[1] The Chicago Tribune '​s Harlene Ellin gave it one and a half stars out of four, adding that "the uninspired continuation [...] clearly wasn't worth the wait".[2]

TV Guide gave the film two stars out of four.[3]

Soundtrack listing[edit]

 * 1) "Prologue/Timmy and Martin" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 2) "My Life and My Love" (Al Jarreau, Bobbi Page)
 * 3) "Come Make the Most of Your Life" (Andrew Ducote, Dom DeLuise, Arthur Malet, William H. Macy)
 * 4) "Timmy Says Goodbye/Soaring with Jeremy" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 5) "Teaching Timmy/The Snake/The Wisdom of Mr. Ages" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 6) "I Will Show the World" (Andrew Ducote, Alex Strange, Ralph Macchio)
 * 7) "Timmy Meets Jenny/Killer, the Attack Dog/Jenny's Story/Muriel and Floyd" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 8) "Jenny's Plan/The Escape/Flight to N.I.M.H./The Hawk Attacks" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 9) "Meeting Cecil/Search for the Great Owl" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 10) "Magic Mystery Show" (Meshach Taylor, Dom DeLuise, Ralph Macchio, Hynden Walch)
 * 11) "Angry Animals/Another Escape/Evil Martin" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 12) "Just Say Yes!" (Eric Idle, Ralph Macchio)
 * 13) "Taken Prisoner" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 14) "All I Had is Gone" (Ralph Macchio, Hynden Walch)
 * 15) "Breakout/Muriel and Floyd Get the Shaft/Trapped by Martin" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 16) "Escape from N.I.M.H." (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)
 * 17) "Finale" (instrumental by Lee Holdridge)