Released in Japan in July 2010 as Kari-gurashi no Arietti, the US version, The Secret World of Arrietty is a simple and beautifully told story of small people called Borrowers. (When I mean small, think grasshopper small.) It mainly focuses on one family who has been isolated from their kind and struggling to survive while also steering clear of the human “beans” they “borrow” from. I am not familiar with the children’s series, The Borrowers by Mary Horton, of which this film is based, and perhaps it’s my adult brain, but I found it silly to call them borrowers, when they are clearly just taking things. However, I do have the capacity to imagine myself as a child and can appreciate the fantasy.
Known for his animation on such films as, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, Hiromasa Yonebayashi has made his directorial debut with this film. What I found the most fascinating about the film was how this children’s story was not dumbed down and did not go for any of the typical animation gags. I really enjoyed how the characters came to life very subtly, yet were very clearly formed.
The voices in the US version are names you will recognize, most notably, Carol Burnett. Her performance was never too over-the-top and really gave the character more life and empathy. Voicing Arrietty’s parents are Amy Poehler (SNL, NBC’s Parks & Recreation) and Will Arnett (Fox’s Arrested Development, NBC’s Up All Night), who are married in real life. Arnett did seem to have trouble overcoming his boisterous voice, but by the end, his performance became more relaxed. Poehler also toned down her performance a bit and I had the opposite reaction, where I felt she was much better in the beginning of the story. Arrietty is voiced by Bridgit Mendler, who is just getting her feet wet in the acting word with family films and guest TV work. Her voice was innocent and determined.
I was dissatisfied with the story in that there were so many layers that I wanted to know about. This could very easily be a series and often felt like an episode of a Saturday morning cartoon.
The animation is breathtaking and is so crisp, that at one point, I almost thought that the colors were going to run when it rained. This is a true artform and although I found quite a few flaws with the story, it’s worth the watch and will be amazing on Bluray. At 94 minutes, it’s a fairly quick watch, but might not be entertaining enough for children under the age of 10.
Rating: Gorgeous animation and a simple story to follow. 6/10
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