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The Secret of NIMH poster

Movies that feel likeThe Secret of NIMH (1982)

A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.

If you loved The Secret of NIMH, the closest films we have are The Dark Crystal (1982), An American Tail (1986) and Anastasia (1997). All three share The Secret of NIMH's epic and warm feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Escape to Witch Mountain (1975).

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See it on the Mood Map

If The Secret of NIMH hit the spot, these will too

The Dark Crystal poster
The Dark Crystal
1982 Β· dir. Frank Oz
πŸ… 78%β˜… 7.1adventure Β· family Β· fantasyPeacock

The same two preoccupations: villain, and good against evil

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The Secret of NIMH does

On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use the crystal for evil.

An American Tail poster
An American Tail
1986 Β· dir. Don Bluth
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.9adventure Β· animation Β· comedy

Both are Don Bluth's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Trades the dream logic of The Secret of NIMH for an angle of its own

A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.

Anastasia poster
Anastasia
1997 Β· dir. Don Bluth
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.2animation Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

Don Bluth directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

Ten years after she was separated from her family, an eighteen-year-old orphan with vague memories of the past sets out to Paris in hopes of reuniting with her grandmother. She is accompanied by two con men, who intend to pass her off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia to the Dowager Empress for a reward.

The Land Before Time poster
The Land Before Time
1988 Β· dir. Don Bluth
πŸ… 65%β˜… 7.4family Β· animation Β· adventure

The same preoccupation in both: playful

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.

The Cat Returns poster
The Cat Returns
2002 Β· dir. Hiroyuki Morita
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.1adventure Β· fantasy Β· animationMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: crow

The difference: 20 years apart, and the 2000s show

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Jason and the Argonauts poster
Jason and the Argonauts
1963 Β· dir. Don Chaffey
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.3adventure Β· family Β· fantasy

Epic and warm in the same breath

Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.

Return to Oz poster
Return to Oz
1985 Β· dir. Walter Murch
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.7adventure Β· family Β· fantasyDisney+

The same mix in both: comfort, then dream logic

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the land of her dreams, and makes delightful new friends, and dangerous new enemies.

The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter poster
The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter
1990 Β· dir. George T. Miller
πŸ… 14%β˜… 5.1family Β· fantasy Β· adventure

Contemplative adventure, and it commits to that

Once again, Bastian is transported to the world of Fantasia which he recently managed to save from destruction. However, the land is now being destroyed by an evil sorceress, Xayide, so he must join up with Atreyu and face the Emptiness once more.

The Secret Garden poster
The Secret Garden
1993 Β· dir. Agnieszka Holland
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.3drama Β· family Β· fantasy

Contemplative drama in both cases

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

A Little Princess poster
A Little Princess
1995 Β· dir. Alfonso CuarΓ³n
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.6drama Β· family Β· fantasy

Both lean on warmth more than on family

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth.

Escape to Witch Mountain poster
Escape to Witch Mountain
1975 Β· dir. John Hough
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.3adventure Β· fantasy Β· science fictionDisney+

Fantasy built on scale, twice over

Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.

The Black Stallion poster
The Black Stallion
1979 Β· dir. Carroll Ballard
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4family Β· adventure

Animation with a pulse of comfort, in both cases

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer. Together they begin training the horse to race against the fastest ones in the world.

In the mood for more epic?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Secret of NIMH’s defining feeling.