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- I love fansites.
And fanart, and especially fanfics. You don't have to look far
on my domain to figure that out for yourself. Before the internet,
I had to settle for basically nothing. The movies and shows I
was interested in didn't have organized clubs that put out fanzines.
The closest I got to joining a "creative community"
was the ELFQUEST Fan Club. Ironically I wasn't
that interested in the subject matter to contribute anything.
I enjoyed ELFQUEST but not enough to play in the
sandbox.
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- I collected
for the most part with N.I.M.H. being the biggest
interest. The fun only lasted for so long though. Okay, I have
this stuff but I'm the only one interested in it. No one
in my circle understood or even cared about my N.I.M.H.
fixation. I doodled some fan art here and there and even
thought up a fanfic, but there was nowhere to go with it. What's
a fan to do?
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- Ah, the internet.
What could I have done without it? It was the first time I started
to find others like me. I remember the first N.I.M.H.
website I went to. Actually at the time it was the only site
that existed. It was Jeremy Hodges' website and I devoured it
like I was starving. I sent him pictures from my collection which
he put up on his site. It was such a thrill to see not only my
things but my name associated with my favorite movie. Then that's
when it hit me - I could do this.
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- So the first
incarnation of the Justin & Jenner Shrine was born.
It started out as a screengrab gallery with a couple of original
pieces here and there. As the years went on, I became more ambitious
with the content. I wanted to stand out from the other sites
and I think I succeeded. The Shrine, much to my humble modesty,
has become a "must have" link on practically every
N.I.M.H. website out there. Nothing makes me happier
that knowing my hard work is worth something.
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- When I took
down the Shrine because I thought I wasn't interested anymore,
the outpouring of e-mail shocked me. Fans loved my website so
much they even offered to take it off my hands. They felt the
Shrine had to exist nomatter what. In the end,
my interest in fanfics pulled me back. I spent so many years
doing without, I found I couldn't live like that anymore.
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- I had
become... *gasp* ...a fangirl. =^_^=
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- Welcome
to my little corner of N.I.M.H. fandom.
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-
 Released in 1982,
The Secret of N.I.M.H. was Don Bluth's first animated
feature project after leaving the Disney company. Even though
N.I.M.H. received wide critical acclaim, this movie
went on to become one of Bluth's most underrated achievements.
But despite media ignorance of this beautiful film, a rather
modest cult following blossomed. But this web page is not about
celebrating an entire movie, but more like 15 minutes of it.
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- "Justin
bothers him enough with all his silly nonsense... I don't know
what Nicodemus sees in that boy." - Mr. Ages
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- Based
on the book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rat's of N.I.M.H.
by Robert C. O'Brien, Don Bluth wasn't satisfied with just following
the manuscript word for word. Instead, he created his own world
where rats mastered magic along with technology, living in a
medieval setting surrounded by the modern world. It was the perfect
route for Bluth to take, a route that I was more than willing
to follow, especially when he introduced two characters who would
forever incorporate themselves into my life... Justin
and Jenner.
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- "Justin?!
Who the heck is Justin?! - Jeremy the Crow
-
 Although Justin had more
of a major role in the book, his attitude and demeanor was nowhere
near how he was portrayed in the movie: the handsome, swashbuckling,
captain-of-the-guard, with the mischievous child's streak. His
schoolboy charm coupled with his intense loyalty and courage
under fire (as well as the superb voice given to him by Peter
Strauss) made Justin the most attractive male I had ever
seen at the time. In fact, Justin was my first crush (I was
11! Cut me some slack!), although I do have to admit that
even to this day, Justin still has a space reserved in my heart.
(I'm such a phangirl. ^_~ ) His only shame was that he
spent so little time on screen and he appeared on a very limited
amount of memorabilia.
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- "The
Thorn Valley Plan is the aspiration of idiots and dreamers! We...
We were just talking
about
you..." - Jenner
- "That's
refreshing, Jenner. Usually you're screaming about us."
-Justin
-
 Jenner, on the other
hand, was barely in the book at all, regulated only to a minor
flashback sequence. But obviously Don Bluth would not allow a
character with such potential just stay in the background. So
in walks Bluth's Jenner, a sly and cunning congressman among
the escaped rats, campaigning until the end against Nicodemus'
move to Thorn Valley. The quintessential villain, Jenner proved
that he wasn't all talk (and with a voice supplied by Paul
Shenar, that was some talk!). He truly believed what he was
saying was right and he would do anything to have his way, including
committing murder. Jenner was sexy in his darkness, the very
reason villains are rooted for more than the heroes. He proved
to be the perfect foe for the optimistic Justin, who seemed to
have never really understood the danger Jenner was capable of
creating.
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- "He's
before the council now. This time he's attacking Nicodemus openly."
- Justin
- "And
the Plan no doubt." - Mr. Ages
- "Nothing
will come of it. It will pass." - Justin
- "Beware,
boy, he's dangerous... Jenner will be the undoing of the rats
of N.I.M.H." - Mr. Ages
-
 Of all the scenes in
The Secret of N.I.M.H., the climactic sword fight
between Justin and Jenner remains my favorite. Dark, moody, and
intense, it was my first exposure to realistic violence in an
animated feature (N.I.M.H. was also the first time
I had ever heard a cartoon character mutter a swear-word).
Don Bluth successfully proved to me that cartoons didn't have
to be regulated to the cutesy, musical ghetto animation seems
to be stuck in now. Unfortunately, that was where he creatively
resided for a while, as it seems studios won't pay him to do
anything other than Disney clones, which is a pity. Although
I have to admit I really enjoyed Anastasia. It's
the only other Bluth film I own.
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- And
I don't want to even get started on those god-forsaken "sequels"
MGM has the nerve to put out. I don't know what crack they're
smoking but that's not MY Secret of N.I.M.H.
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- "Damn!"
- Justin
-
 Don Bluth made a valiant
effort with Titan A.E., another installment of
disappointing animation (but it had such potential though!).
Consider that this was not "his" project and that FOX
essentially screwed him over it (Bluth gets brought in like
the calvary to finish this project in record time then gets blamed
when it tanks!)
Luckily, Don Bluth, after getting fired from FOX has decided
to swear off the whole studio system and return to his roots,
this time directing his talent to the internet. Right now, he
is planning independently producing feature length animated movies
for the web starting with Dragon's Lair. If there
seems to be enough interest, he will then release them onto video
and DVD.
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- Maybe...
just maybe he can be convinced to do something with talking,
swashbuckling rats again...
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- Or the
TALL TAILS movie, but that's just me being biased.
=^_~=
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-
- Some
more info to check out
-
- The Secret of
N.I.M.H. - Wikipedia
- Detailed info about the movie itself.
- The Secret of N.I.M.H. - IMDB - Check out the trivia
section.
- Don Bluth - Wikipedia - Detailed info about
the man who stared it all.
- Peter Strauss - Wikipedia - Well, that explains
the Miracle-Gro commercials. Justin, it seems, is a serious and
successful citrus farmer!
- Paul Shenar - Wikipedia - For an actor he sure is camera
shy.
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-
- Here
are some awards I've won. Guess the Shrine ain't too shabby!
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