Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that can help answer the question.
Query: Who played the voice of Mrs. Brisby in The Secret of NIMH?
Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby, the main character of the film and the widowed mother of Teresa, Martin, Cynthia and Timmy. Her husband, Jonathan, was killed and eaten alive by Farmer Fitzgibbons's pet cat Dragon, and she struggles to take care of her kids by herself. Her main plot in the film is to find a society of lab rats to help her move her home to avoid destruction by Fitzgibbon's plow. Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus Hermione Baddeley as Auntie Shrew John Carradine as The Great Owl Dom DeLuise as Jeremy the Crow Arthur Malet as Mr. Ages Peter Strauss as Justin Paul Shenar as Jenner Aldo Ray as Sullivan Shannen Doherty as Teresa Brisby, Mrs. Brisby's firstborn daughter. She's always willing to help her mother take care of her siblings. Wil Wheaton as Martin Brisby, Mrs. Brisby's firstborn son and second child. He always wants to prove he's big enough to fight everything, and believes that he's not scared of anything. Ian Fried as Timothy "Timmy" Brisby, Mrs. Brisby's second born son and third child. He falls sick with pneumonia and Mrs. Brisby goes on a journey to help find a cure for him. He later becomes the main protagonist in The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue. Jodi Hicks as Cynthia Brisby, Mrs. Brisby's second born daughter and youngest child. She's the curious one out of the four mice kids. Edie McClurg as Miss Right, a female crow who becomes Jeremy's girlfriend by the end of the film. Tom Hatten as Farmer Fitzgibbons Lucille Bliss as Mrs. Beth Fitzgibbons Joshua Lawrence as Billy Fitzgibbons Charles Champlin, Dick Kleiner, and Norbert Auerbach as the Council rats
His appearances on television included episodes of "The Donna Reed Show", "The Rifleman", "Adventures in Paradise", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" ("The McGregor Affair"; originally aired 23 November 1964), and "Bewitched" ("The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara"; originally aired 2 February 1967). In 1965 he appeared as murder victim Ralph Day in the "Perry Mason" episode, "The Case of the Golden Venom." He played a vagrant who claimed to have stolen Aunt Bea's pin on "The Andy Griffith Show" in 1966. In 1995, he portrayed Charles Randolph in "A Little Princess". In 1997, he did voice work in "Anastasia". He voiced the character of "Mr. Ages" in "The Secret of NIMH" in 1982 and reprised the role in "" in 1998.
In 1982, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" became the basis for the animated film "The Secret of NIMH", directed by Don Bluth. In 1998, a film sequel to "The Secret of NIMH", called "" was released. The sequel has no connection to Jane Leslie Conly's sequel, "Racso and the Rats of NIMH", but did have a connection with Mrs. Frisby (the story about the six missing mice). It is recently announced that a live-action/animated reboot is in development.
Vincent Cole Brisby (born January 25, 1971 in Houston, Texas), is a former professional American football player who played for the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 193 lb. wide receiver from Northeast Louisiana University (now called University of Louisiana at Monroe), Brisby played eight NFL seasons from 1993 to 2000 for the Patriots and New York Jets. He was given the name Vincent "Ultimate" Brisby by ESPN analyst Chris Berman. Brisby's best game was arguably Week 5 in his second season. He compiled 6 catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots 17-16 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers.
The Brisby house begins to sink into the mud, but Justin and the rats are unable to raise it. Mrs. Brisby's will to save her children gives power to the amulet, which she uses to lift the house and move it to safety. The next morning, the rats have departed for Thorn Valley with Justin as their new leader, and Timothy begins to recover. Jeremy eventually meets "Miss Right", another crow who is just as clumsy as he is, and the two fly away together.
Bluth himself would later make several changes to the story, most notably with the addition of mystical elements not present in the original novel.[3] He explained "Regarding magic, we really believe that animation calls for some magic, to give it a special 'fantastic' quality."[10] This was most apparent in the magic amulet given to Mrs. Brisby, which was meant to be a visual representation of her character's internal power; something harder to show on film. The object was also meant to introduce a spiritual aspect to the plot, with the director remarking, "The stone or amulet is just a method of letting the audience know that Mrs. Brisby has found 'Courage of the Heart'. Magic? Maybe. Spiritual? Yes."[10] In the same vein, Nicodemus was made into a wizard to "create more mystery" about himself and the rats' colony. The antagonist Jenner was given much more prominence in the movie, being only mentioned as a traitor who leaves in the book, to "add drama" to the narrative by giving it a more visible enemy. Justin also now succeeds Nicodemus as the leader of the rats to give his character more of an arc, and allow him an opportunity to "grow and change."[3] Unlike the original work, Justin does not rescue Mrs. Brisby from the cage at the Fitzgibbons' house, and she now helps her children without the rats' assistance by using the amulet; once again giving focus to her personal story. As Bluth put it, "The Secret of NIMH is really a story about Mrs. Brisby and her need to save her children. If the rats save her children, then she hasn't grown in the film."[3]
Goldman described the casting process as "exciting, fun, and sometimes strange".[5] He stated that focusing on the characteristics of each character, the voices, and acting abilities were crucial, saying that using voices that added to a movie's texture was part of the team's philosophy in the development of a film. Goldman found the strangest casting decision to be Dom DeLuise for Jeremy the Crow, which Goldman, Bluth, and Pomeroy had considered after they watched the 1978 film The End.[5] Elizabeth Hartman was cast as Mrs. Brisby, with Goldman calling her performance in A Patch of Blue "so believable and sincere that we all felt that she was right for the part." Pomeroy suggested Derek Jacobi, who starred in the 1976 miniseries I Claudius, to play the part of Nicodemus.[5] Peter Strauss, whom the team previously saw in another miniseries from 1976, Rich Man, Poor Man, was cast as Justin.[5] Paul Shenar was assigned to play Jenner; the staff liked his "dark, powerful voice".[5] Shakespearean actor John Carradine was "perfect for the dark, ominous Great Owl", while Aldo Ray was assigned to voice Sullivan, whom Goldman said "also had a great distinctive voice".[5]
On stage, she was best known for her interpretations of Laura Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" and Emily Webb in "Our Town". By the late 1970s, Hartman's career had begun to slow, and she quit acting in 1982 after finishing the voice role of Mrs. Brisby in Don Bluth's animated film "The Secret of NIMH" (1982). She committed suicide five years later by jumping from her apartment window in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Brisby, a timid widowed field mouse, lives in a cinder block with her children in a field on the Fitzgibbons' farm. She prepares to move her family out of the field as plowing time approaches, but her son Timothy has fallen ill. She visits Mr. Ages, another mouse and friend of her late husband, Jonathan, who diagnoses Timothy with pneumonia and provides her with medicine. Mr. Ages warns her that Timothy must stay inside for at least three weeks or he will die. On her way home, she encounters Jeremy, a clumsy but friendly crow. They both narrowly escape from the Fitzgibbons' cat, Dragon.
Calhoun's work with rats inspired the 1971 children's book, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", by Robert C. O'Brien, which was adapted into a 1982 animated film, "The Secret of NIMH".
The rats are moving the Brisby home, with the children inside, using a rope and pulley system during a thunderstorm. Jenner, who wishes for the rats to remain in the rose bush, sabotages the ropes with his reluctant accomplice Sullivan, causing the assembly to fly apart and kill Nicodemus. Mrs. Brisby arrives and tries to convince the rats that NIMH is coming and they must leave, but Jenner attacks her and attempts to steal the amulet. Sullivan alerts Justin, who rushes to Mrs. Brisby's aid. Jenner mortally wounds Sullivan and engages Justin in a sword fight, which ends with Sullivan killing Jenner before dying himself.
In 1982, the animated film "The Secret of NIMH" was released, directed by Don Bluth. The film adds a mystical element completely absent from the novel, with Nicodemus portrayed as a wise, bearded old wizard with magic powers and an enchanted amulet, rather than an equal of the other rats. The character of Jenner is made a villain who is still present with the rats, rather than having left them before the story begins. The crow Jeremy has much greater prominence as comic relief in the film than he has in the book. Additionally, the Frisby family name was changed to "Brisby" to avoid trademark infringement with the Frisbee.
The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated adventure 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 named Jenny 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.
During the film's production, Aurora contacted Wham-O, the manufacturers of Frisbee flying discs, with concerns about possible trademark infringements if the "Mrs. Frisby" name in O'Brien's original book was used in the movie. Wham-O rejected Aurora's request for waiver to use the same-sounding name to their "Frisbee", in the movie. Aurora informed Bluth & company that Mrs. Frisby's name would have to be altered. By then, the voice work had already been recorded for the film, so the name change to "Mrs. Brisby" necessitated a combination of re-recording some lines and, because John Carradine was unavailable for further recordings, careful sound editing had to be performed, taking the "B" sound of another word from Carradine's recorded lines, and replace the "F" sound with the "B" sound, altering the name from "Frisby" to "Brisby".[3]
Mrs. Brisby enters the rose bush and encounters a aggressive guard rat named Brutus, who chases her away. She is led back in by Mr. Ages, and is amazed to see the rats' use of electricity and other technology. She meets Justin, the friendly Captain of the Guard, and Jenner, a ruthless, power-hungry rat opposed to Nicodemus, and finally Nicodemus himself. From Nicodemus, she learns that many years ago her husband, along with the rats and Mr. Ages, were part of a series of experiments at a place known as NIMH, the National Institute of Mental Health. The experiments boosted their intelligence, enabling them to escape, as well as extending their lifespans and slowing their aging process. However, they are unable to live only as rats, needing human technology to survive, which they have only accomplished by stealing. The rats have concocted "The Plan", which is to leave the farm and live independently. Nicodemus gives Mrs. Brisby an amulet called "The Stone", which gives magical power when its wearer is courageous.
Wheaton made his acting debut in the television film "A Long Way Home" (1981), and his first cinema role was as Martin Brisby in the animated film "The Secret of NIMH" (1982), the movie adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's book "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" (1971). He had a minor role in "The Last Starfighter" (1984) as Louis's friend, but it was cut.
A founding member, actor, director and teacher of the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, he played more than forty roles there, including "Hamlet", "Oedipus Rex" and Brother Julian in "Tiny Alice". He voiced the evil rat Jenner in the animated feature "The Secret of NIMH" (1982). Shenar's performance in "The Secret of NIMH" so impressed producer Don Bluth he had wanted to hire Shenar to also voice the villain Borf in the game "Space Ace", but was unable to do so due to budget issues (a role that ultimately went to Bluth himself).
The film begins with a prophecy from the first film, 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.
A children's novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
by Robert C. O'Brien, published in 1971, features a society of intelligent rats that had presumably escaped from a laboratory at NIMH. The novel was later adapted into a critically acclaimed animated feature film entitled "The Secret of NIMH" by animator and director Don Bluth. The book was followed by a sequel in 1986, "Racso and the Rats of NIMH".
Because of her husband's relationship with the rats, they agree to help Mrs. Brisby move her home. First, they need to drug Dragon to sleep so that they can complete the move safely. Only Mrs. Brisby can do this, as only mice are small enough to fit through the hole leading into the house; Jonathan was killed by Dragon in a previous attempt, while Mr. Ages broke his leg in another. That night, she puts the drug into the cat's food dish, but the Fitzgibbons' son Billy catches her. While trapped in a birdcage, she overhears a telephone conversation between Farmer Fitzgibbons and NIMH and learns that the Institute intends to exterminate the rats the next day. She escapes from the cage and runs off to warn the rats.
"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", by Robert C. O'Brien and published in 1971, was inspired by Calhoun's work. The book later inspired an animated film, "The Secret of NIMH".
The rights to the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH had reportedly been offered to Disney in 1972 but turned down.[3]
The production of The Secret of NIMH lasted from January 1980 to early June 1982.[7] The studio set out with the explicit goal in mind of returning feature animation to its "golden era", concentrating on strong characters and story, and experimenting with unusual and often more labor-intensive animation techniques.[6] Bluth believed older techniques were being abandoned in favor of lower production costs, and the only way animation could survive was to continue traditional production methods. Among the techniques experimented with on The Secret of NIMH were rotoscoping, multiple passes on the camera to achieve transparent shadows, and backlit animation (where animated mattes are shot with light shining through color gels to produce glowing areas for artificial light and fire effects), multiple color palettes for characters to fit in different lighting situations, from daylight, to night, to warm environments, to underwater. Mrs. Brisby had 46 different lighting situations, therefore there were 46 different color palettes, or lists of color, for her. Two modern, computerized versions of the multiplane camera were also manufactured for this production.[8]
He appeared in the television dramas "Inside the Third Reich" (1982), where he played Hitler; "Mr Pye" (1985); and "Little Dorrit" (1987), based on Charles Dickens's novel; "The Tenth Man" (1988) with Anthony Hopkins and Kristin Scott Thomas. In 1982, he lent his voice to the character of Nicodemus in the animated film, "The Secret of NIMH". In 1990, he starred as Daedalus in episode 4 of "".
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a 1971 children's book by Robert C. O'Brien, with illustrations by Zena Bernstein. The winner of the 1972 Newbery Medal, the story was adapted for film in 1982 as "The Secret of NIMH".