Simply A Masterpiece

Admirable film.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I had previously seen two live action versions of The Borrowers, the John Goodman / Jim Broadbent film version and the Christopher Eccleston / Stephen Fry television movie version, but this was a Japanese cartoon version I was looking forward to, from Studio Ghibli (Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away). Basically young boy Shô (Tom Holland) is neglected by his parents, he is sent to spend summer at his mother's childhood home, with his maternal great aunt Sadako (Phyllida Law, widow of The Magic Roundabout creator Eric Thompson) and her housemaid Haru (Miss Marple's Geraldine McEwan). Shô suffers a heart condition and is awaiting a surgery operation, he is depressed in the absence of his mother, but notices gets of glimpse of small person in the garden, he is fascinated to find her and any other tiny people in the house. There indeed little people, on the underground of Sadako's house is where the Clock family live: fourteen-year-old Arrietty (Saoirse Ronan), her father Pod (Mark Strong) and her mother Homily (Olivia Colman). They are Borrowers, tiny people that collect and borrow simple things, e.g. batteries, cubes of sugar, they need in the house from the humans, and Arrietty is joining her father for the first time. On this trip however Arrietty drops a sugar cube, but Shô, who spotted her again during the night, leaves the cube near a window in the basement, and eventually he and the young Borrower interact, but she tells him that Borrowers are never to be seen by humans. Following Pod getting injured, they get some help from Borrower boy Spiller (Luke Allen-Gale), Arrietty's parents decide to move to another place as they have been discovered by inhabitants of the house, and things get worse when the small family are being menaced by Haru who wants to catch them. In the end, after Haru fails to keep the Borrowers captive and convince a pest control company that they exist, the Clocks are forced to leave, Shô gives Arrietty a sugar cube and tells her she has the courage to fight for survival, Arrietty gives her his hair clip as a token, she and the family drift away down river in a floating teapot. This is a good version of the story many people know, the English cast dubbing the characters are chosen well, the animation as always is splendid, and it is a nice simple story with an emotional draw with clashing between the world of the little people and the "human beans", it is overall an enjoyable animated fantasy adventure. Good!

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): Dir: Hiromasa Yonebayashi / Voices: Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Amy Pohler, Carol Burnett: Gloriously beautiful Japanese animation about the overwhelming world inhabited by little people known as borrowers. Shawn is a teenager with a heart condition sent to live with his great aunt and her scheming housekeeper. He knows about the borrowers and establishes a friendship with teenage Arrietty who is anxious for her first borrowing experience. When the people are asleep, her father leads the mission that involves high staking climbs for sugar cubes and tissue. They struggle to avoid being seen by humans because it threatens their existence and that is the one problem with the film. Its conclusion leaves the impression that these borrowers cannot co-exist with humans but one gets the impression that things could have worked reasonably with Shawn and his aunt. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and released in Japan in 2010 before making a UK transfer in 2011. Finally it receives an American release complete with new voice overs that work. Bridgit Mendler voices the heroic Arrietty who braves the impossible. David Henrie voices Shawn whom she comes to understand and connect with. Will Arnett and Amy Pohler voice the parents who worry about their daughter. Even Carol Burnett lends her voice to the American dubbing of this film. Strong theme regarding family and friendship but its best element is the stunning animation full of gorgeous detail that heightens Arrietty's world in full blown awe. Score: 9 / 10

Have you ever wondered why there is a little less sugar in the sugar jar? Wondered why that flash of color happened in the corner of your eye? Wondered why there are tiny footprints in the dust up on your mantle?Having read The Borrowers I knew why, and in Arriety's adventures I know a little more...A young person has been sent to rest before heart surgery which he may not survive. Upon arrival at his parent's country home he catches a glimpse of Arriety who is collecting flora for her room. Arriety manages to hide herself and then escape from the house-cat, but is reprimanded by her anxious mother for venturing out. That evening Arriety's father takes her out on a borrowing, but she is seen again by the young person which frightens Arriety and cuts short the borrowing.The boy tries to talk with Arriety, and since she will have none of it he leaves a sugar cube with a note. This interaction frustrates Arriety's parents and leads them to begin preparations to move. Arriety takes it upon herself to return the sugar and note as well as to tell the young person to leave them alone. He cannot leave them be, partially because of his mother's memories and desires to see the little people and so frightens The Borrowers by remodeling their house.The young person's mean old woman catches on that her young man has discovered the borrowers and begins a chase that eventually captures Arriety's mother who is put into a jar in the cupboard until pest control can arrive. At this point Arriety enlists the help of the young person to rescue her mother and thwart the mean lady's designs. ---The secret world of Arriety does not have much of a story-line. It is more of a window into a time of crisis with humor, absurdity, and courage all animated by the meticulous hands at Ghibli studios. It was a fun view with very few of the undercurrents and twists that exist in much of the other Ghibli works.

Affectionately crafted, mesmerisingly told & gorgeously photographed, The Secret World of Arrietty (simply known as Arrietty) is quite possibly the best Studio Ghibli feature-length film that wasn't directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A masterwork of staggering beauty, it is undoubtedly one of the most enchanting works of animation to surface on the film canvas.Based on the children's book The Borrowers by Mary Norton, the story of Arrietty concerns its titular character & her family; a group of tiny people on the brink of extinction who live anonymously in human residents & have made their home by borrowing simple items from their households. But things are set in motion when Arrietty is discovered by a human boy.Co-written by Hayao Miyazaki & directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi in what is his directional debut, Arrietty exhibits an astonishing level of craftsmanship from the first frame to the last plus the fully-realised world of borrowers is brought to life with remarkable care, intimacy & attention to detail. All the characters here are well-defined & the voice cast is wisely chosen as well.The hand-drawn animation is brilliantly executed for Arrietty is one of Studio Ghibli's most colourful works & makes vibrant use of colour palette, resulting in every frame being finely balanced in both hues & textures. Editing is smartly carried out too for the story unfolds in an elegant, smooth manner & showcases an excellent sense of pacing throughout its 95 minutes of runtime.And last but not the least is the background score by Cécile Corbel that turned this already wonderful cinematic experience into an even more delightful, heartwarming & enriching one. Music has the ability to make or break a film for it is the soul of most narratives and in case of Arrietty, the flavours, heart, warmth & magic its storyline resonates all the time has a lot to do with this very aspect.On an overall scale, The Secret World of Arrietty is a spellbinding work of its genre that has a very sweet, tender & graceful quality about it and is a cinematic delight for viewers of all ages. Plus, for a first time director, it's an extremely impressive start & it's gonna be really interesting to see where he goes from here. Another fabulous piece of fantasy from Studio Ghibli that's enjoyable, entertaining, emotionally fulfilling & effortlessly relatable, Arrietty comes highly recommended.