MovieChat Forums > The Secret of NIMH (1982) Discussion > They say this is Bluth's darkest film, b...

They say this is Bluth's darkest film, but I think...


...that "All Dogs go to Heaven" and "An American Tail" are way darker.

"All Dogs" is darker, because of it's adult themes, such as: murder, greed, religion, and gangs. Plus, I had no idea what Hell and Satan were when I was little, but the nightmare that Charlie had about Hell was SO scary too me, I'd scramble to the top of my couch and close my eyes (I still get a cold shiver from watching the scene)!

"An American Tail" is darker, because it reflected the history of the violent conflicts between Russia and Germany. It also had some adult themes, like slavery, immigration, war, and family separation.

I know that "NIMH" had some very intense scenes, but I think "NIMH" is dark in a fairytale sense, like "The Dark Crystal", or "The Black Cauldron" (but even those films were darker than "NIMH"). "An Amercan Tail" and "All Dogs" however, reflect real life situations, and that's what makes these films a lot darker to me. What do you guys think? :/


"I got in one little fight and my mom got scared"- Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

reply

[deleted]

I agree. Secret of NIMH is dark, but All Dogs Go to Heaven I always deemed much darker, especially for its themes and the nightmare sequence.







"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeline Kahn(CLUE, 1985)

reply

I guess a lot of Bluth's big cartoons had a good share of death in them with the exception of An American Tail (if you don't count all the deaths recounted in There are No Cats in America)

Land Before Time - Littlefoot's mom gets it from the T-Rex. T-Rex gets his too
All Dogs - Charlie and Carface both bite it
NIMH - Jenner, his lackey, Nicodemus, Jonathan

That's without mentioning all the extras who get killed like the bugs being eaten by the sewer fish in An American Tail and the great owl squashing spiders and eating moths viciously LOL.

I like the dark elements....just one more thing that sets these films apart from all the happy-go-lucky crap.

reply