Movie Review: Secret World of Arrietty

The Secret World of Arrietty


Original Title: Kari-gurashi no Arietti
Release: 17 February 2012
Starring: Bridgit Mendler and David Henrie (US version); Mirai Shida and Ryuunosuke Kamiki (Japanese version)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Genre: Family, Drama, Adventure
Length: 94 min.
Rating: G


Taglines:
Japanese - Ningen ni mirare te wa ikenai. Sore ga yukashita no kodomo-tachi no okite datta. (Translation - Do not be seen by humans. That's been the law of children of the underfloor.)
USA - Discover a secret world within our own.



Basic Premise:
Based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton, Studio Ghibli brings to animation the life, trials, and tribulations of Arrietty, a tiny person no bigger than a mouse living amongst the humans without their knowledge.




Review:
This is the type of production I expect when seeing a Studio Ghibli film. I thoroughly enjoyed this edition of The Borrowers. I haven't seen many others, beyond the cartoon adaptation The Littles, and I haven't read the book, so I can't speak to how closely this anime stuck to the source material or how it compares to other adaptations. I can simply say that I really enjoyed it and look forward to owning the DVD.

This is a great family movie, though I caution parents that it might not be for younger kids. Not because of content, but simply because the movie has a mellow pacing to it that might make younger kids (under ten maybe) impatient. If your child is the type that needs constant action/movement and bright flashy characters singing songs to keep them quiet in a theater, I would suggest waiting for the DVD on this one.

For the Studio Ghibli fans out there, this is a must see movie. If it's showing somewhere in your area, I suggest making the trip.