Parents' Guide to

The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue

By Nancy Davis Kho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Sequel is tamer, more predicable than the classic.

Movie G 2007 68 minutes
The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 6+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Rarityfan
Rarityfan Adult
July 1, 2019
age 5+

It's a mystery

Typical cheap 1990's direct to VHS sequel. Including the song Magcial Mystery Show that could annoy some, and stars Ralph Maccio and Eric Idle. Lots of out of context. For families that has a b movie night.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of 1-year-old
April 19, 2019
age 6+

Bad sequel with a few "good" life lessons...

The only reason I'm giving this a 2 star review instead of 1 star is because there is a strong emphasis on the listening to authority figures and the emphasis on how cruel animal testing can be if left unregulated. The movie seems to be unbalanced with some parts being for the youngest of kids, but there is also some disturbing parts like when evil Martin experiments on the same humans that turned him evil and causes them to behave like dogs. The music is annoyingly catchy at best and flat out ear torture at worst. "Magic Mystery Show" is so annoyingly catchy it will get stuck in your head after a single viewing and if you are unfortunate to own a copy and have a young child who likes to dance it could take weeks to get over the urge to him the tune or sing it while doing housework. The worst part is that Mrs. Brisby hardly appears in the movie and they keep putting an emphasis on how great the dad Jonathan Brisby was, despite him hardly having any significant role in the original aside from being a plot device. The original had the mother as the heroine and the sequel hardly mentions her heroics aside from a quick reference to the great owl. There's some mildly funny parts that are Saturday morning cartoon level humor with slap stick and hygiene jokes about guys wearing the same underwear for more than a day and having Martin behave is a psychotically "humorous" fashion. It's one of the worst sequels ever made according to several YouTube lists and I will agree that it is pretty bad. I put drugs and violence because it does show flash backs of the rats being injected with drugs and animal torture.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE SECRET OF NIMH 2 follows the adventures of Timmy (voiced by Andrew Ducotte, then Ralph Macchio), one of the sons of the hero of the first movie, as he fulfills his own destiny as a hero to the rodents of NIMH. Now living in utopian Thorn Valley, the supersmart but peaceful rats that escaped from the evil testing laboratory, NIMH, learn that the institution has yet another horrid plan in store for them. This time, it's Timmy's job to help lead them out of danger. Timmy's future as the hero of Thorn Valley has been foretold by the rat prophet Nicodemus, and the movie follows his development from a scared runt of the litter to the cunning leader of the escape mission.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (10):

In trying to re-create the magic of 1982's The Secret of NIMH, THE SECRET OF NIMH 2 reprises the characters but lacks the pacing and originality of the first story. While there is a good plot twist near the end, most of the movie is highly predictable.

The movie brings back popular characters like Justin (William Macy), the rat leader, and Jeremy the crow (Dom DeLuise). And there are new characters, like Jenny (Hynden Walch), the daughter of mice still trapped in NIMH. But it lacks the lush colored animation that made the first movie stand out more than 20 years ago. In fact, the animation seems amateurish. For example, as two animals conduct a back-and-forth conversation, their mouths and bodies move in unison.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the complex relationship between Jonathan Brisby's two sons.

  • Why is Martin so conflicted?

  • Do you think Timmy is glad or resentful when he is singled out as the hero of Nicodemus' prediction?

  • How does your family feel about animal testing? Are there situations in which you think it might be merited? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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