The Secret World of Arriety – Review

The Secret World of Arriety
Starring: Bridgett, Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnet, David Henry
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

A family of 4 inch tall people live underneath a family’s home when their daughter is discovered their entire family situation changesArriety(Bridgett Mendler) is a 4 inch tall teenager yearning to go on her first “borrowing” mission. When her father Pod (Will Arnet) takes her to get a cube a of sugar things change for the family after Arriety is spotted by the ailing Shawn (David Henry), Shawn means no harm and is just looking for a friend while he gathers his strength before a heart surgery, Once a borrower is spotted they must leave before harm befalls the family. When Arriety’s mother Homily is captured a rescue attempt must be made by Arriety before the family can flee to safety.

Based on the famed series the Borrowers by Mary Norton, Beth Krush and Joe Krush and brought to the US by Disney , The Secret World of Arriety is a Studio Ghibli Film the same Japanese studio that created the Academy Award winning Spirited Away.

The first thing of note is the look of the film, there isn’t any utilization of computer animation employing a more old fashioned style with plenty of static backgrounds, which suits the tone of the film.

Given that it is a G rating one might assume that this is a typical family friendly cartoon. Anime is a high art form in Japan and even though this is a cartoon, it deals with themes that some youngsters might not be ready for. Some little ones might not be ready for the conversation that Shawn has with Arriety regarding his potential death from an operation he is about to undertake, nor are there a lot of funny moments or any characters breaking out in song. The Secret World of Arriety is a straight up character driven narrative that could just as easily been made as a live action film as opposed to being animated.

Arriety is a precocious teenager who yearns for adventure and friendship going against the wishes of her parents to befriend Shawn.
She is secluded in her world of borrowing without any contact with other Borrowers
The film is a testament to living, hope and friendship and while not your typical cartoon it’s delivers a message that many live action films only hope to achieve

Grade – 90