AURORA PRESENTS A DON BLUTH PRODUCTION |
"THE SECRET OF NIMH"
Production Notes
The Second Golden Age of Animation is here.
"The Secret of NIMH," an action fantasy in the classical style of animation,
arrives this summer.
The film, set for release in July, 1982 will mark
the first feature from Don Bluth Productions since he and 16 others left
Walt Disney Studio More than two years ago.
"The Secret of NIMH," the story of a widowed mouse
who seeks the help of some mysterious rats to save her family, features
the vocal talents of Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby, Dom DeLuise
as Jeremy, an impetuous young crow who is searching for Miss Right, but
does everything wrong, and Peter, Strauss as Justin, captain of the guard
of the rats, a group of intelligents who are trying to promote a secret
plan.
Also topping the cast are Derek Jacobi who does
the voice characterization of Nicodemus, revered and venerable leader of
the rats; John Carradine as the Great Owl, omnipotent and awesome adviser,
and Hermione Baddeley as Auntie Shrew, Brisby's bothered neighbor and self-appointed
keeper of the field.
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In addition, Arthur Malet gives voice to Mr. Ages, a
crotchety chemist mouse; Paul Shenar to the dastardly Jenner, the evil
rat who tries to lead a revolution within the pack.
Production began in January, 1980, and will be completed
in early June, 1982, with more than 6800 feet of film completed by 120
artists. The Aurora presentation of the Don Bluth production will
be released in the United Stated and Canada by MGM/United Artists Distribution
and Marketing.
The film features many animation methods discarded
or ignored by other studios as being too expensive. These include
multiplane camera shots and multiple passes of the film through the camera
to add depth and dimension to scenes; characters' shadows, reflections
and other special effects animation scenes; the orchestration of color
throughout the film to achieve emotional impact and, most importantly,
an uncompromised story line.
"The Secret of NIMH" is produced by Don Bluth, Gary
Goldman and John Pomeroy and directed by Bluth. It is based on the
Newbery Award-winning book., "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by
Robert C. O'Brien, with a story adaptation by Bluth, Pomeroy, Will Finn
and Goldman. Mel Griffin is production executive. Rich Irvine
and James L. Stewart are executive producers.
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CLASSICAL ANIMATION -- WHAT IT IS
Classical animation is full, rich, warm, colorful. The art is
of high quality, The characters move fluidly and fully, in settings which
are meticulous in detail, color and.period of furniture, architecture and
props. There are shadows, changes in lighting which occur from day
to night, from sunshine to shade. When water splashes, the audience
sees those splashes and sees through them. When water glistens,we
see that too. When a gold necklace is put in a box, the sparkles
of some of its links can be seen. Mood changes in a scene are reflected
in the color of the backgrounds; when feeling runs high, colors tend to
oranges or reds; when action calms down, blues and greens are used.
There are more than 600 colors at work in "The Secret of NIMH," more than
500 of which were developed by Don Bluth Studio. There will also
be more than 1000 backqrounds.
In all movies there are 24 frames of film projected
onto the screen per second. In classical animation, there are 24
drawings of each"animated character or special effect per second when the
camera is moving, as in a dolly shot or a pan. In shots where the camera
is stationery, there are 12 drawings per second, or one for every two frames
of film. Many times the characters or effects are each done on separate
plastic cels. In some shots in "The Secret of NIMH," there are 96 drawings
in a single second of film. By the time the film is finished, including
all the preliminary sketches, key poses and cleaned
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up drawings, there will be a million-and-a-half drawings done.
Special effects plays an important role in classical
animation. "Special effects" in animation is defined as anything
that moves onscreen that is not a character. Basically there are
two types: natural phenomena, such as trees blowing in the
wind and the sparkle of a gold chain; and supernatural phenomena, such
as the hologram into which Nicodemus can forecast and even shape the future,
the amulet and its pulsating glow, or the laser-like dust that burns Nicodemus's
words into the parchment of the "Great Book."
Technology in camera work also adds to the richness
of classical animation. Hand-built cameras called multiplanes (Bluth
has two) feature a camera about eight feet off the floor and pointed downward.
On various levels, or planes, are placed the background and character and
special effects needed for that scene. Bluth multiplanes are operated
electronically, making their operation easier and less expensive than those
of other studios. Multiple passes of the same film through the camera
are also used extensively. In some scenes there are 12 "passes."
Both of these camera "tricks" add depth and dimension to scenes.
Classical animation stands out from the limited
or flat animation found in Saturday morning cartoons, where many times
only one part of a character moves in a scene...and from the-computer animation
or stylized "arty" types of animation employed in other animated feature
films.
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ORIGIN OF COMPANY AND STORY
After nearly a decade of training under the
revered animation pioneers who led Disney Studio to the pinnacle
of worldwide success, Bluth, Goldman and Pomeroy left that company on September
13, 1979, followed by 14 artists to set up shop full-time in Bluth's garage,
where they had worked on a special project during nights and weekends for
several years, rediscovering techniques used by Walt Disney in his early
films., techniques now abandoned, considered by some to be too expensive
for continued practical use.
Bluth was convinced the classical animation techniques
could be ressurected and put back on the screen. It is his desire
to "preserve this valiant art form."
Their first featurette, "Banjo, the Woodpile
Cat," produced in that garage studio, was presented on television this
Spring.
The producers first learned of Robert C. O'Brien's
Newbery Award-winning book, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" from
a highly-respected animation storyman. They read and loved it, and
urged Disney to make the film. Although the idea was rejected. the
three never lost sight of the project, and together with Aurora, finally
obtained rights to it after a departure from Disney in 1979. In January
of 1980, now out of the garage and into larger quarters, the new company
began production on the ambitious project, scouring television and movies
for vocal talent and art houses for potential animators.
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THE SETTING
Farmer Fitzgibbons' fallow field lies somewhere
near a mysterious research institute known only to the animals as NIMH.
But Mrs. Brisby, widowed mother of four, doesn't know that. She and
her offspring live in a cinder-block half-buried in the field near a large
rock, wondering when, with the coming of the planting season, The Plow
will come to chase them away-- and worrying, because this year young Timmy
is confined to bed with pneumonia.
Brisby enters a rusty threshing machine to the secret
lab of Mr. Ages, and seeks medicine for her ailing son. She flies
on The back of newfound friend Jeremy the crow to the dank lair of the
Great Owl. She enters the frightening and mysterious underground
civilization beneath the farmer's rosebush to see the rats and ask their
help in moving her house. She enters the farmer's kitchen to put
sleeping powder in the cat's food so the rats can work undisturbed.
And she even braves the most terrifying place of all -- her inner fears
-- to rescue her little family.
THE CAST
ELIZABETH HARTMAN is Mrs. Brisby.
Hartman won an Academy Award nomination for
her performance as the blind girl in "A Patch of Blue," and
starred -in other films including "The Group," "You're
a Big Boy Now," "The Fixer," "Full Moon High" and "Intermission."
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She also recently appeared in a television pilot of
"Cages" and has done numerous television appearances. Her theatrical
background includes "Our Town," "The Glass Menagerie," The Madwoman of
Chaillot," "Bus Stop" and "Becket," among others. After a self-imposed
absence from acting, Hartman has now returned to Hollywood to continue
her career.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, she commutes between Los
Angeles and Cleveland.
DOM DE LUISE is Jeremy the crow.
One of America's favorite funnymen, DeLuise is currently
starring in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" with Dolly Parton and
Burt Reynolds. His film credits include Mel Brooks' "History
of the World, Part I," "Silent Movie" "Blazing Saddles,"
"The Twelve Chairs, ",and other films such as "Fatso," "Smokey and
the Bandit II," "Cannonball Run," "The End," "The World's Greatest Lover,"
"The adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" and "The Cheap
Detective."
He made his directorial debut with "Hot Stuff,"
in which he also starred, and he directed a stage production of "Same Time,
Next Year" at the Burt Reynolds Playhouse in Jupiter, Florida.
His stage appearances include "The Student Gypsy,"
"Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and "Here's Love," and he spent two seasons
at the Cleveland Playhouse where he appeared in such plays as "School for
Scandal," "Hamlet" and "Stalag 17."
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DeLuise got his introduction to television on "The Garry
Moore Show" as Dominick the Great, a bumbling magician. He also had
two series of his own, The Dom DeLuise Variety Show and "Lotsa Luck,' and
he has been a regular guest on major talk and variety shows.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, DeLuise now resides
with his wife, actress Carol Arthur, and three sons in Los Angeles.
PETER STRAUSS is Justin, Captain of the Guard, loyal proponent of The
Plan.
Strauss became an overnight sensation after his
performance in ABC-TV's "Rich Man, Poor Man" miniseries, for which he was
nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. A year ago, he starred
in "Masada," an eight hour movie for television and in 1979 he received
an Emmy for his portrayal of an imprisoned murderer in "The Jerico Mile."
He is also remembered for his portrayal of "Young Joe: The Forgotten
Kennedy."
Born in New York City, Strauss makes his home near
Los Angeles.
DEREK JACOBI is Nicodemus, esteemed leader of the rats.
Jacobi, long recognized as one of England's most
gifted classical actors, gained his first measure of American fame for
his virtuoso title role performance in "I Claudius," for which he was named
best television actor in 1976 by the British Academy of Film and Television
Awards. More recent
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credits include leads in PBS productions of Shakespearean plays, including
"Hamlet" and "Richard III," and the role of Hitler in the NBC miniseries
"Inside the Third Reich. "His film credits include "The Human Factor"
and "The Enigma." In 1980, he made his Broadway debut starring in
the Russian satirical comedy, "The Suicide," and starred as Burgess in
the television docu-drama "Philby, Burgess and MacLean." Jacobi was
chosen by Sir Laurence Olivier as one of the eight founding members of
Britain's National Theatre Company in 1963.
He lives in London.
JOHN CARRADINE is the omnipotent Great Owl.
Carradine began his screen career in 1936 and has
appeared in countless productions including "Stagecoach," The Grapes
of Wrath," "Captains Courageous," "The True Story of Jesse
James," "The Ten Commandments," "The House of Dracula," "The
House of Frankenstein," "The Three Musketeers," "The Shootist,"
"The Last Tycoon," "The Sentinel" and "The How1ing."
Carradine began on the stage and has appeared in
a broad spectrum of roles, from Shakespeare to broad comedy. At one
time, he owned a repertory theatre in San Francisco where he produced,
directed and starred in numerous productions.
Born 76 years ago in New York City, Carradine
now resides with his wife Emily in Montecito, California. Sons David,
Keith and Christopher are also actors.
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HERMIONE BADDELEY is busybody neighbor Auntie Shrew.
Baddeley, known to millions as the outrageous, housekeeper
Mrs. Naugatuck on the Popular television series, "Maude," has had a show
business career that includes singing, dancing, musical comedy and serious
drama on stage, screen and televizion,
Born in Shropshire, England, she made her London stage debut at age
11 and went on to become the Queen of London's musical revues, winning
critical acclaim for her American debut on Broadway in a "Taste of
Honey." She starred in Tennessee Williams' "The Milk Train Doesn't
Stop Here Anymore." and Noel Coward's "Fallen Angel," among many others.
Baddeley won an Academy Award nomination for her
role in "Room at the Top." Other film credits include "The Unsinkable Molly
Brown," "Mary Poppins," "Harlow," "Marriage on the Rocks" and others.
Although she was told at the age of 12 by George Bernard Shaw, who
had just seen her perform, to change her name from
"Baddeley" to "Goodeley," she kept her name and became one of entertainment's
foremost comediennes.
Baddeley now makes her home in the Hollywood Hills.
ARTHUR MALET is crotchety chemist mouse Mr. Ages.
Born in England and raised in Wales, Malet has made
the United States his home since his teens. Malet's other screen
credits include "Savage Harvest," "Heaven Can Wait" "Halloween,"
"In the Heat of the Night,"
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"Mary Poppins" and "Robinson Crusoe." His Broadway appearances
include "Look After Lulu," "Shadow of the Gunman" and "Moonbirds."
On television, he has made numerous guest appearances, including
"Barney Miller," "Palmerstown, U.S.A." and "Bosom Buddies."
Acting awards he has won include The Vernon Rice
Award, the New York Drama Desk Award, an Obie, a Theater Arts Actor of
the Year Award, the Village Voice Theatre Award, and the Lola D'Annunzio
Award from the Circle in the Square in New York.
A gourmet cook and avid gardener, Malet now lives
in Santa Monica, California.
PAUL SHENAR is dastardly Jenner.
Shenar gained national and critical recognition
in his portrayal of Orson Welles in "The Night That Panicked America,"
shown on ABC. More recently he was in "Beulah Land "Suddenly Love"
and "Zieqfeld, the Man and His Woman" for television.
A founding member, actor, director, teacher and
student of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Shenar has
played more than 40 roles, including "Hamlet," "Oedipus Rex" and
in "Tiny Alice."
Shenar lives in Los Angeles.
THE BRISBY CHILDREN
SHANNEN DOHERTY is Teresa, the too-responsible daughter.
Shannen started acting last year at the age of 10
and
has already appeared in numerous commercials and documentaries and
a two-part segment of the "Father Murphy" teleseries.
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IAN FRIED is Timmy, the youngest child who has pneumonia.
Ian started acting at the age of five-and-a-half,
when he was "discovered" in a restaurant in Toluca Lake, near Burbank.
Now seven, he stars currently as Rocky Jr. in United Artists's "Rocky III."
JODI HICKS is Cynthia, the toddler.
Jodi makes her film "debut" in "The Secret of NIMH,"
and appeared with Timothy Hutton in "The Long Way Home" on television.
WIL WHEATON is Martin, the independent, would-be protector.
Wheaton makes his debut in "The Secret of NIMH."
AND THERE'S MORE --
Also lending their vocal talents to the film are Edie McClurg, Aldo
Ray, Tom Hatten, Lucille Bliss and Josh Lawrence in character roles
THE MUSIC
JERRY GOLDSMITH, Composer and Conductor.
Goldsmith, Academy Award-winner for his score for
"The Omen" and three-time Emmy winner, has composed and conducted
the score for the film.
His Emmy Awards were for television productions
of "Babe," "QB VII," and "The Red Pony." He has been nominated for 11 other
Academy Awards. His most memorable movie scores include those for
"Star Trek - - The motion picture," "Outland," "Alien,"
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Chinatown," "Papillon," "Patton," "Planet of the Apes," "The
Wind and the Lion," "Sand Pebbles," "A Patch of Blue" and "The Boys
From Brazil."
A Los Angeles native, Goldsmith was educated at
Los Angeles City college and began his professional career as a music teacher.
He began scoring for radio shows and from there made the transition to
television with shows such as "Climax," "Playhouse 90," "studio one"
and "Gunsmoke." In the late 1950s, he scored his first film, "The Black
Patch" and in 1962, was nominated for the first time for an Oscar with
his score for "Freud." In 1969, he made his debut as a concert conductor
with the Southern California Chamber Symphony.
For "The Secret of NIMH," he conducts members of
the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
He and his wife Carol live in Westwood, a Los Angeles suburb, with
their infant son Aaron. Goldsmith also has four other children
THE PRODUCERS
DON BLUTH, Producer, Director, Story Adaptor, Layout Designer, Animator.
Bluth, heir apparent to the throne of Disney animation,
left that studio nearly three years ago in a dispute over creative quality.
He and partners Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy founded Don Bluth Productions
in Bluth's garage, where they and 14 other ex-Disney employees completed
work on what had been a
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training film, "Banjo the Woodpile Cat," a 30-minute television special.
It will be aired on ABC-TV this year.
Born in El Paso, Texas, Bluth moved six years later
with his parents and six brothers and sisters to Payson, Utah, where he
grew up milking 24 cows every morning, picking tomatoes for school money
and dreaming of becoming a Disney animator.
He landed a job as assistant animator at Disney
in 1956 and worked on "Sleeping Beauty." After a year-and-a-half, he grew
restless and left, first to conduct a teaching and recruiting ministry
in Argentina for the Mormon Church, then to attend Brigham Young University
at Provo, Utah, where he majored in English. He and a brother ran
a little theater in Culver City, California, for three years.
In 1967, he joined Filmation Studios as a layout
man. In addition to humdrum work on Saturday morning "kidvid" shows,
Bluth formed a touring young people's singing group called "the New Generation."
In 1971 he returned to Disney and joined their new
training program for animation. He animated on "Robin Hood," released
in 1973, and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too," released in 1974.
He was directing animator on "The Rescuers," released in 1977, and
director of animation on "Pete's Dragon," a musical fantasy combining live
action and animation released at Christmas, 1977. He produced and
directed "The Small One," a featurette released the next year at Christmas,
and was animating
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on "The Fox and the Hound" until September, 1979.
Under his own banner he has produced and directed
"Banjo the Woodpile Cat" and the two-minute animated fantasy, sequence
in Universal's feature film "Xanadu," starring Olivia-Newton-John and Michael
Beck. He Is a member of the Shorts Branch of the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences. He currently resides near his garage in Culver
City, California.
GARY GOLDMAN, Producer, Directing Animator, Story Adaptor, Animator.
Goldman was born in Watsville, California, and began
developing his artistic pursuits in his early teen years, in addition to
being a math whiz at school. He attended.Cabrillo Community College at
Aptos, California, and then joined the Air Force, during which time he
was stationed in,Germany for eight months, and Japan for two years.
He graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1971 with a degree in fine
arts and had a brief career as an electronic technician using training
he received in the Air Force.
Following a brief stay in San Francisco, where he
began to break into the cartoon comic strip field, Goldman came to Los
Angeles to investigate a career in animation. He joined Disney Studios
in 1972 assisting Frank Thomas on "Robin Hood" and animating on "Winnie
the Pooh and Tigger Too" in 1972. He also animated on "The Rescuers"
in 1977 and was a
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directing animator on "Pete's Dragon" in 1977 and "The Small One," a featurette
released in 1978.
His last assignment at Disney was animating on "The
Fox and the Hound." He left Disney with Bluth and collaborated with him
and Pomeroy on "Banjo" as producer and animator. He coordinated the two-minute
animated segment for "Xanadu" and was responsible for most of the optical
work done on that project.
A member of the Shorts Branch of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Goldman resides in Northridge, California,
with his wife Jan and their two sons
JOHN POMEROY, Producer, Directing Animator, Story Adaptor, Animator.
Pomeroy joined Disney as a trainee in 1973 and so
impressed his employers that he was animating with six months.
He worked on "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too" in
1974, animated on "The Rescuers" and "Pete's Dragon" in 1977 and was a
directing animator on the short subject "The Small One" in 1978.
His last assignment at Disney was animating on "The Fox and the Hound,"
before he left with Bluth and Goldman, with whom he collaborated on "Banjo"
as producer and animator.
Pomeroy was born in Los Angeles and grew up the
middle child of five children. He showed an early interest in marionettes
and hand puppets and a gift for sculpture and art. He staged several
successful one-man art shows while attending
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Riverside City College majoring it architecture, and the Art Center College
of Design, majoring in illustration.
He and his wife Lorna, a fellow animator with who
he has collaborated on several projects, live in Glendale. He is a memberof
the Shorts Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
THE STORY ADAPTORS
In addition to Bluth, Pomeroy and Goldman, WILL FINN
also helped adapt the story and animated on the film.
Finn was born in Geneva, New York, and was raised
the fourth of six children in Rochester and Auburn. While attending
Auburn High School, he wrote for the literary magazine. After graduation,
he attended the Art Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and during his
years there, he drew a comic strip and helped pay his way through college
by drawing caricatures at college social functions. He also met Eric
Larsen, chief Disney recruiter.
In 1978, With an associate degree in commercial
art, Finn came to Los Angeles and presented a total of five portfolios
at Disney before he was hired. Six months later, in November of 1979,
he was fired from Disney and hired by Bluth.
He and his wife Cindy, a color model designer at Bluth, live in Burbank.
THE AUTHOR
ROBERT C. O'BRIEN wrote "Mrs. Frisby and the
Rats of NIMH," novel published in 1971, and the following year he won the
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John Newbery Award given annually by the American Library Association for
the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Born Robert Leslie Conly in Brooklyn, New York,
he attended Williams College and graduated from the University of Rochester.
He was an editor and writer for Newsweek magazine from 1941 to 1944, for
Pathfinder magazine from 1946 to 1951, and for National Geographic magazine
from 1951 until his death in 1973
His other books include "The Silver Crown," "A Report
From Group 17" and "Z for Zachariah," which was completed by his wife and
one of his daughters after his death.
THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
RICH IRVINE went into partnership with James L.
Stewart and formed Aurora Production in 1978. Irvine, president of
Aurora, had been executive vice president and chief operating officer of
Talent Payments, Inc., Production Payments, Inc., and'Central Casting Corportion,
all subsidiaries of IDC Services, Inc., of which he was Corporate
Senior Vice President, West Coast. These companies provide production
services for independent motion pictures, television and commercial producers.
Other positions He's held include- vice president
of marketing, Trans American Video, Inc.; president and chief operating
officer, Straight Arrow Publishinq, Inc. (publishers of Rolling Stone Magazine);
president of Walt Disney Educational Media Company, which supervises non-theatrical
distribution of Disney movies, and director of marketing for the Champion
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Valley Farms division of Campbell Soup Company.
Irvine attended the University of Southern California.
JAMES L. STEWART, executive vice president and chief operating officer
of Aurora, was formerly a vice president and administrative assistant to
the president of Walt Disney Productions.
During his 12-year career at Walt Disney Studios,
Stewart functioned in a wide range of management administrative activities
including corporate, governmental, public and investor relations.
Prior to being named a Vice President in 1974, Stewart served for seven
years as administrative assistant to the executive vice presient, then
president of the company. He also served as Disney's publicity director.
Stewart was previously a senior publicist with MGM
Studios from 1961 to 1965 and was with CBS Radio Network for two years.
He is a graduate of the University of Southern California
with a bachelor of arts degree in telecommunications and a master's
degree in finance.
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