If you’ve never heard of the Japanese animation team, Studio Ghibli, then you are seriously missing out. Created by Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind such films as “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” and “Princess Mononoke,” Studio Ghibli has once again provided another great addition to its list of wonderful movies with “The Secret World of Arrietty.”
“The Secret World of Arrietty,” based on the book “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton, follows the story of a four-inch tall family who live in the floor of a house inhabited by normal-sized human beings. They carry the name ‘Borrowers’ because of the little things they must steal in order to survive, such as sugar and tissue paper. But due to humans, the Borrowers numbers have been dwindling, so it’s important for them to keep out of sight, therefore when young Arrietty is spotted by a boy who has come to stay at the house, it creates a heap of problems for both her and her tiny family. However, she soon learns that friendship comes in many forms, and some things aren’t entirely as they’re made out to be.
Studio Ghibli has never let me down. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad movie from them. “The Secret World of Arrietty” is no exception. The first thing to know about their films is that they are absolutely gorgeous. Every background is hand painted, utilizing a variety of different color schemes that makes the movie a pleasure to watch and the Japanese animation is some of the best you will ever see. Unfortunately, many people will avoid “The Secret World of Arrietty” because it’s anime, but this is not crazy, spiky hairstyles and gigantic glassy eyes that take up two-thirds of the face kind of anime. The animation is simple, mature and fits perfectly with both the tone of the movie and the narrative . The characters in the film are rich and interesting and the way they interact with one another creates some unexpected emotional moments. In fact, you’re likely to find yourself relating to the characters and some of their situations from time to time. The story is somewhat predictable, but is told so well that this hardly matters. The entire movie is charming, funny and childish in the all the best ways.
“The Secret World of Arrietty” is a great film, but, due to the Japanese anime, it probably won’t appeal to most mainstream audiences. It seems like the only ones who are initially interested in Studio Ghibli’s films are those girls wearing the eared animal hats and with fuzzy fox tails hanging out of their jeans (You know who you are). Misplaced cries for attention aside, make some time for the little kid in you and go enjoy this movie.