Anime legend Hayao Miyazaki's influence looms large over Studio Ghibli's latest release The Secret World of Arrietty (Kari-gurashi no Arietti or Arrietty the Borrower in Japan). Loosely based on Mary Norton's award-winning children's novel The Borrowers, it has the same gentle humour, languid pace and casual magic as Miyazaki's classic My Neighbor Totoro.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi Directs Studio Ghibli, Disney's The Secret World of Arrietty
Shawn (David Henrie in the English dub) is staying at the country house of his Great Aunt Jessica (Gracie Poletti) while he prepares for heart surgery. His first day there, he spies a tiny figure hiding amongst the grass: Arrietty Clock (Bridgit Mendler) a tiny humanlike creature from a race called The Borrowers. She lives in the walls of the house along with her parents - laconic Pod (Will Arnett) and chronic worrier Homily (Amy Poehler). The family survives by "borrowing" bits and pieces the humans won't miss.
Despite her parents' warnings that any interactions with the "human beans" will only lead to trouble, Arrietty strikes up a wary friendship with Shawn. But Jessica's loopy maid Haru (Carol Burnett) has long suspected that "little people" live in the house, and when Shawn's unusual behaviour attracts her attention, she begins to wonder if perhaps her suspicions are correct . . .
Even though Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Tales from Earthsea) directed, it may as well be a Hayao Miyazaki movie. The anime maestro "planned", executive produced the film and wrote the screenplay with Keiko Niwa. The flick has many of Miyazaki's hallmarks: magic realism, gentle humour and a strong female lead in the mold of Nausicaä or Kiki.
Once again, this film looks absolutely spectacular, whether it's the initial cityscape or a close-up of raindrops sliding off a leaf. Given some occasional roughness in the movements (especially the cars) I suspect that this movie was rendered completely in hand-drawn animation. Ghibli's animators are brilliant at evoking the Borrowers' world, especially when Pod takes Arrietty on her first "borrowing mission": climbing inside the walls using strategically placed nails and staples and, even at one point, the fretboard of a guitar.
The Secret World of Arrietty: Another Brilliant Movie From Studio Ghibli
The Secret World of Arrietty is for younger kids, their parents and grandparents. Older kids will swiftly pronounce themselves bored by the slow pace and lack of action. Their loss: this film is another future classic from Studio Ghibli, and it gets a 4.5/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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