If you grew up in the eighties, you probably have a specific, slightly jagged memory of a mouse in a red cape. Maybe it was the glowing eyes of the Great Owl or the terrifying, mechanical hiss of the "Dragon" cat.
Don Bluth didn't just make a movie when he walked away from Disney; he made a statement. And a huge part of why The Secret of NIMH feels so heavy, so real, and so unlike anything else in animation is the voices. The Secret of NIMH movie cast wasn't just a list of names—it was a collection of veterans, child stars-to-be, and a leading lady who gave the performance of a lifetime before vanishing.
The Heart of the Rosebush: Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby
Honestly, most animated movies back then leaned into "cute." But Elizabeth Hartman brought something else to Mrs. Brisby. Fear. Actual, bone-deep, trembling fear. You’ve probably noticed how her voice isn't just high-pitched; it’s thin, like it might break if the wind blows too hard.
That wasn't an accident.
Bluth and his team—Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy—wanted someone who felt sincere. Hartman had been nominated for an Oscar for A Patch of Blue, but by 1982, she was mostly away from the spotlight. This would be her final film role. There’s a certain weight to her performance knowing that. When she tells the Great Owl, "I am Mrs. Brisby," and her voice hitches? That’s not "voice acting." That’s just acting.
Fans actually call the character "Elizabeth" in her honor sometimes. It’s a bit of a niche trivia point, but it shows how much she connected with the audience. She made a tiny mouse feel like the bravest person in the room precisely because she was so obviously terrified.
Nicodemus and the Shakespearean Weight of Derek Jacobi
Then you have the rats. These aren't just rodents; they’re survivors of the National Institute of Mental Health. They needed to sound ancient. Sophisticated.
Enter Derek Jacobi.
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Before he was a knight of the realm or a regular in every prestige drama on TV, Jacobi was the star of I, Claudius. John Pomeroy suggested him because he had this incredible, melodic authority. When Nicodemus speaks, the movie slows down. It becomes a legend. Jacobi’s delivery of the backstory—the needles, the cages, the escape—turns a "cartoon" into a gothic sci-fi epic.
The Great Owl: A Legend’s Coffee-Fueled Performance
John Carradine is a name you might know from The Grapes of Wrath or about a thousand horror movies. By the time he showed up to record the Great Owl, he was... well, he was up there in years.
The story goes that he arrived at the studio feeling a bit "loopy" because of his arthritis medication. Bluth and the crew basically plied him with coffee and chatted him up until he was sharp enough to step to the mic.
He did it in one go.
Carradine told them he’d given them the best he had and wasn't doing retakes. Turns out, he was right. The Owl’s voice is iconic—deep, gravelly, and genuinely threatening. There was actually a theory among the animators that the Owl and Nicodemus were two halves of the same spirit. They even walk similarly and have the same glowing eyes. They almost had the same actor play both, but they decided they needed the star power of having both Jacobi and Carradine.
The Kids Who Became Household Names
Look at the credits for the Brisby children and you’ll see two names that jump out.
- Shannen Doherty: She was only 11. Long before Beverly Hills, 90210 or Charmed, she was Teresa. She sounds exactly like a bossy, worried older sister.
- Wil Wheaton: He was 10. This was before Stand By Me and way before Star Trek: Next Generation. He played Martin.
It’s kinda wild to think about these two future icons recording lines in a booth together for a dark fantasy movie about lab rats. They brought a naturalism to the "mouse house" scenes that kept the stakes high. If the kids sounded like typical "cartoon" brats, you wouldn't care as much when the plow started moving.
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The Comedic Relief (That Actually Worked)
We have to talk about Dom DeLuise.
He played Jeremy the crow. Now, usually, in a movie this dark, the "funny sidekick" is the part where everyone rolls their eyes. But DeLuise was a genius of improvisation. He brought a frantic, messy energy that balanced the gloom.
Basically, he was the only one allowed to be "big." Everyone else was playing it straight, which made Jeremy’s tangles with string and his "love at first sight" moments feel like a much-needed breath of air.
The Villain We Love to Hate
Paul Shenar as Jenner.
Jenner is one of the best animated villains ever, period. He’s not a monster; he’s a politician. He’s smart, he’s ambitious, and he’s cold. Shenar (who most people recognize as Alejandro Sosa from Scarface) gave Jenner a smooth, oily sophistication.
He wasn't just "evil." He was a pragmatist who didn't want to live in the wild. He wanted the lights. He wanted the power.
The "Secret" Cast Member: Sullivan
Aldo Ray played Sullivan, Jenner's reluctant henchman. Here’s a weird fact: Sullivan’s name is never actually spoken in the movie.
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The filmmakers didn't even realize they’d forgotten to name him on-screen until the movie was already in theaters. But Ray’s performance—the gravelly voice of a man with a guilty conscience—makes him one of the most memorable characters in the final act. When he finally turns on Jenner, you feel that redemption.
Why the Casting Made the Movie a Classic
The The Secret of NIMH movie cast succeeded because Don Bluth treated the material with respect. He didn't cast "voice actors" who did funny voices; he cast actors who understood the drama.
It cost $7 million to make. That was peanuts compared to Disney’s $12 million for The Fox and the Hound around the same time. But because the voices felt so grounded, the world felt huge.
You’ve got:
- Hermione Baddeley as Auntie Shrew (who also voiced the maid in Mary Poppins).
- Arthur Malet as the croaky, cynical Mr. Ages.
- Peter Strauss as the heroic Justin.
Every single one of them sounds like they belong in that specific, damp, dangerous world.
Next Steps for the NIMH Fan
If you want to truly appreciate the work this cast put in, your next move is to watch the film with high-quality headphones. Listen to the nuance in Elizabeth Hartman’s breathy delivery or the way John Carradine’s voice rumbles the sub-woofer. It’s a masterclass in how vocal performance can elevate animation from a "kids' show" to a piece of cinematic art. Once you've done that, tracking down the original 1971 novel by Robert C. O’Brien (Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH) is the best way to see where these characters originated—and why the movie’s changes (like the "magic" amulet) were so controversial among the cast and crew.
The performances are the reason we still talk about this movie 40 years later. They gave a bunch of drawings a soul.