“The Secret World of Arrietty” begins with adventurous 14-year-old Arrietty (voice by Bridgit Mendler), who comes from a traditional family in which mother and father (voices by Amy Poehler and Will Arnett) assume their time-honored roles and children grow up under their parents’ supervision. The original Japanese screenplay was written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa. The producers include Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Gary Rydstrom directed this English-language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” from a screenplay written by Karey Kirkpatrick. The film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and produced by Toshio Suzuki. Based on the acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers,” by Mary Norton, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is an animated adventure that explores the extraordinary world of very tiny people who reside peacefully and undetected beneath the floorboards of a country house. Even as an adult, these scenes provoked a child-like sense of wonder, and I’m sure it will be rich fodder for your family’s imagination.From the imaginative world of internationally acclaimed screenwriter and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, whose animated classic “Spirited Away” won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, comes the uniquely inspired and “The Secret World of Arrietty.” Following the international success of Miyazaki’s hugely popular worldwide hits “Ponyo” and “Spirited Away,” Studio Ghibli’s latest masterful achievement takes audiences beyond the world of the easily seen and deep into a domain populated by tiny people whose existence is thought to be myth. Spoons the size of a man, a sugar cube as big as a package, a straight pin for a sword, flowers for trees, a refrigerator transformed into an immeasurable mountain. In my opinion, the best part of this film is the delightful, magical sense of scale - seeing familiar objects rendered huge. Arrietty is a strong, brave heroine who faces her challenge (trusting and communicating with someone very different than herself) and triumphs. The aesthetics are at once masterful and inviting, cozily European inspired but bursting with nature. The movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at, a real visual feast. On the whole, this is an immersive and gentle adventure with just enough plot to stay engaged but no thrills or intensity that children as young as age 5 could enjoy.Īs different as it may seem from other Studio Ghibli films, at its heart is a familiar core. There are only three things I feel discerning parents should be aware of: two startling moments of unexpected loud sounds (one as Arrietty is talking with Sho in the window another when Pod is making a basket) Sho says at one point that he’s dying (although he doesn’t die on-screen) and one frightening moment when Homily is abducted with a lot of screaming. In fact, there’s almost nothing objectionable to mention–no magic, no violence, no blood, no cursing, no smoking or drinking. Yonebayashi would go on to direct two more films for Studio Ghibli before joining Studio Ponoc.Īrrietty is also unique in that there is no magic. Instead, this film was the directorial debut of one of their long-time animators, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who contributed to nine previous Studio Ghibli films including Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo. Like Howl’s Moving Castle and in contrast to most Studio Ghibli films, it is an adaptation of a Western children’s fantasy novel in this case, Mary Norton’s The Borrowers.Īnd like The Cat Returns, it was not directed by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata, the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. How will this unexpected encounter transform them both? The Secret World of Arrietty: Movie InformationĪrrietty is an interesting piece in the Studio Ghibli canon. On her very first borrowing, she is seen and addressed by Sho, an ill young man who has come to his grandmother’s house to convalesce with rumors of the little people his mother claims to have seen. The Secret World of Arrietty: SummaryĪrrietty is a “borrower”, a tiny human who lives with her parents under the baseboards and borrows what she needs from the humans above.
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