Karigurashi no Arrietty

Studio Ghibli is quite renowned for it’s rather large portfolio of acclaimed family movies, and you could definitely add Karigurashi no Arrietty to that list. Ghibli usually makes two types of movies, either fantasy movies that focus on themes that are rather critical of problems in society (Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke and Nausicca come to mind), whereas in more recent times we’ve seen more slice-of-life fantasy adventure movies. Arrietty fits more into the latter, with it’s setting being modern day society with a small little twist; there are tiny, tiny people living under the house, and they borrow from humans to survive. Tiny as in maybe 5-8 centimeters tall. One of the charming aspects to this movie is, without a doubt, the amount of attention paid to the little details that makes the presence of little people so believable. The creative, yet simple, ways in which Arrietty and her family are portrayed are captivating, such as the little toolsets Arrietty’s family made in order to explore the “human” house. They use everyday items like fishing hooks, double-sided scotch tape, and spools of thread to create their own little sets of backpacks filled with tools they use to make their lives a little easier, and make the characters fascinatingly believable. The creativity and thought put into the tiny details are awesome, from the fishing hooks and scotch tape, to the little neat cubes of sugar that fits like a well-sized package in the hands of Arrietty. What I really enjoyed about this movie is how it is told from the point of view of little Arrietty as opposed to the perspective of us “regular humans”. Simple things that you could find in your everyday backyard, from Arrietty’s perspective, all of a sudden have a grandiose feeling to them. Things such as a simple vine you could find creeping across the wall of any old house transforms into an intricate ladder of leaves and stems to the rooftops, or a field of grass and flowers becomes a vast forest. This movie takes your everyday backyard, and turns it into a vast new world to explore. It doesn’t hurt that the scenery and artwork was vibrant and lush with color. The soundtrack is especially fitting for this movie. The absense of Joe Hisashi’s music in this Ghibli film is instantly noticable, and while some of the pieces here may lack a slight bit of the grandeur of Hisashi’s works, the soundtrack is still well done. What is a bit unusual here is how the soundtrack was actually done by Cécile Corbel, a French singer and Celtic harpist, who was a huge fan of Ghibli works and sent samples of her work to the studio. The Celtic influence in the soundtrack is immediately noticeable, but it was definitely an excellent choice on Ghibli’s part. Characterization of the actual characters wasn’t exactly anything mindblowingly original or exotic, but the main cast was rather believable for the most part, and had their own charms to them. I found the innocently curious, yet straightforward and resolute attitude of Arrietty quite likable. Her rather odd relationship with Sho, as well as how Sho perceived her, turned out to be quite fascinating and, in a sense, admirable. The subtle tension between the elusive tiny people, and the gigantic humans, are played upon quite well here, which adds quite a few tense moments between Arrietty and Sho. I’d say characterization was quite tastefully handled here for the most part. And now, for the biggest weakness for this movie. The plot progression and characterization were all fine and all, but the conflict and villain were practically a joke in terms of setup. Seriously, what grudge did old lady Haru have against the little guys? They didn’t explain in detail why she was hunting out the little people, giving only a flimsy excuse that they’re “theives” in a degrogatory tone. The villain just felt very underwhelming, and just doesn’t fit in with this movie’s atmosphere at all. The conflict was kind of discredited in my eyes because of the poorly integrated main antagonist, and there is certainly room for improvement here. Plot progression, while fine and all, was also rather slow at times. While I personally didn’t mind the slow pacing (it lets things sink in more), there were definitely plenty of slowly-paced scenes in this movie. What makes Arrietty a great watch is the tremendous attention to the details of it’s setting, the beautiful art and music, and the wonderful direction for it’s characters. The plot is admittingly lacking (especially the major conflict, oh boy could it have used some more work), but as a premier film for a new director, this film turned out to be an pleasant surprise. The ending does feel very open ended, though, with a lot of loose ends that feel as if they have yet to be tied up. While the likelihood of a sequel for a Ghibli movie is very slim, I would be totally fine with a sequel for this particular movie. Animation/Art: 9.0/10 Music: 9.0/10 Setting: 9.5/10 Characters: 8.0/10 Story: 7.0/10 Overall Enjoyment: 8.5/10 (Rounded up to a 9 on MAL)

I don't have any complaints about the art style, voice, or artwork, but I honestly just can't get over the plot. In what world is it okay to steal and call it borrowing. I couldn't bring myself to finish the movie. I personally don't understand why this movie is rated so highly. I would have been more okay with the movie if they had chosen to use a different world or acknowledged what they were doing is stealing, but nope. I read in a review on a different website that it wasn't immoral because the people needed it and what they were taking was so minor it wouldn't have even been noticed as missing. I beg to differ. First off, I don't define their situation as one of need. There are other ways of procuring their goods and the little people could also aid the home owners in small ways as a way of giving back. Do they need to take to survive? Sure. But so do viruses that infect human bodies. Most people would sooner call that a leech rather than accept it as okay. My other issue is the little people have no idea what is of no importance as opposed to something of value. Something could be of sentimental value and they would have no idea. They most likely have to learn the hard way regarding what is and is not okay to take which doesn't seem like a great situation in my opinion. I am aware this is an adaption of a novel with a near identical concept, but I still don't approve of this movie. If you are okay with something like "borrowing" / stealing or this concept doesn't bother you too much, then feel free to watch it. Aside from this aspect, the movie wasn't bad at all.

This movie started very similar to Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli 2001. Driving in a car to somewhere introducing us to the 'main' character. AUDI in Spirited Away, Mercedes in Arrietty. With a similar opening theme 11 years later they must have found it effective. Hayao Miyazaki writer and Director of Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle(2004), and planning and Screenplay for The Secret World of Arrietty. The storyline is based on 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton and the music, which incorporated many celtic themes especially enhanced by the harp, was by Cécile Corbel. The story could have been so much more thrilling. I enjoyed the character development and appreciated the situation of Arrietty and her family however, it took too long to grip my interest. I was expecting an adventure to occur as the family is trudging through the woods right at the end of the movie. From 14 year old Arrietty figuring out how she fits in with her family, what her role is and who she is, to 'borrowing' her first item(a pin) from the humans, Arrietty is curious. She decides to talk to the human Sho, who is physically sick but had heard from his mother that there were small people in the house. He sees Arrietty and desires friendship and so tries to help them out by replacing first the dropped sugar, then kitchen from a dolls house to 'help' Arrietty's family. This brings about unwanted interest from Haru the house maid and brings what little humour there is to light when she captures Arrietty's mom and calls the Exterminators/'Capturers' to deal with the small people. Arrietty's family decide to move because they were seen, Arrietty feels responsible for this because she was seen, and so they leave to find a new house. Sho feels his connection with Arrietty weakening and for some reason follows the house cat and finds Arrietty and says farewell. I needed something more. The elements were there but were not taken advantage of to capture the interest of it's viewers hence the '6'. The animation was fantastic looking and transitioned very smoothly from scene to scene. There were minor CG sections that enhanced the overall calming effect I received. There were a few scenes of Sho standing infront of the house where he looked quite static however. The music was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed the celtic twist and jig rhythms that were interspersed throughout the film. The harp at the beginning of the movie was simple yet magical with clear ringing tones that unexpectedly melded with theme of the movie. (Interestingly Morestsu Uchuu Kaizoku (2012) emotes this theme as well) One thing I noticed was when Arrietty 'sheathed' her pin through her dress a metal-on-metal sound was played that was not for any affect I could relate to. Arrietty's character was developed the most in the film, which is to be expected as the main character however I felt her qualities and traits only scratched the surface. This movie wasn't about her character as much as the progression of her over the journey. There was not much reflection until the very end where she apologised to her parents and then cried at bidding farewell to Sho. The show focused more on her world than her and if that was what was desired then they did a good job. I enjoyed the film as I did not know what to expect but my expectations were apparently too high as I left feeling like there could have been much more conflict for Arriettys character. I would have loved to have followed the family down the river to where a new adventure may await. That is where the story could have taken hold for me. Story: 6 Art: 8 Sound:10 Character: 6 Enjoyment: 6 Overall: 7

Studio Ghibli has a massive reputation in the world of animation, deservedly sitting at the zenith alongside the equally excellent Pixar. Cars 2 might have been a lull in the otherwise excellent back catalogue; unfortunately it’s been a long time since I could happily call myself a fan of Ghibli. Since the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, the studio has been stuck in a state of ever diminishing returns with the frankly over-rated Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and the low point in Tales of the Earthsea. Ghibli is back in 2011 with the Borrower Arrietty, the immediate question that strikes me as a fan is whether this is a return to form or is the rot continuing to eat away at their exemplary reputation? Even before this film had seen the light of day it was victim to scoffs aplenty thanks to this being a remake of the already well-travelled literary classic The Borrowers by Mary Morton. In case you haven’t encountered this tale before, both it and Arrietty tell the tale of a young sickly boy who discovers that there is a family of incredibly small people living under his house. These small creatures are the Borrowers they get their name from borrowing small items and foodstuffs that won’t be missed. The daughter of the family, the titular Arrietty, has a run in with the sickly Sho and they both end up changing each other’s lives for the better. There might be a lack of conflict but you are smothered with the warmth of it all that you really don’t have the time to stop and take stock. Arrietty is a simple tale told well. It is also the most straight-faced film from a studio known for all things fantastical. Despite the screenplay being written by Miyizaki this has none of the flights of fancy or ecological themes that he is known for nor does it have the social commentary of an Isao Takahata film. Diehard Ghibli fans might call shenanigans on such a straight film being housed under the iconic banner, others, me included, see this as a simple film free from the complexity of some of its most famous cousins. Additionally this is a perfect entry point into what is something hard to access for the casual and mainstream viewer. As popular as both anime and Ghibli is there are very few occasions where you can say that something which fits under those groups can be watched by anyone, Arrietty is such a film. The only other film which is both a piece of Japanese animation and accessible to a mainstream audience is Porco Rosso, Miyizaki’s Casablanca stylised story of a man turned into a pig for cowardice during the first world war. It might be the most straight adaptation of a famously concept heavy studio, yet that’s not to say this doesn’t have anything in common with its older cousins. Making such a sweeping statement would mean you have missed many little touches and homage’s. The way in which the film places such value on the everyday and the natural world make it the perfect companion piece to My Neighbour Totoro. In fact these two films would make the loveliest double bill imaginable. Sho is a recycled character model of Pazu, the male lead in Laputa and there is a warrior boy who appears midway through the film, called Spiller, who is remarkably similar to Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke even down to the garb that he wears being the same. The most prescient thing you will notice when watching Arrietty is the sheer unadulterated beauty conjured up by the skilled hands of the animation team. In this age where near enough all animated films released in the West are computer generated it is so refreshing to see something with the personality of hand drawn animation. There might not be the scope of vision of a traditional Ghibli film but that hasn’t stopped the artists on board with this film from representing the everyday whether it is a simple garden, or the even more mundanely the rooms of a house, with such care and affection. There might not be a great amount happening on-screen and there might not be a great deal of conflict save for the final third of the film but it’s one of those films where the visuals and cinematography is so inch perfect that it becomes a visual spectacle. The only negative I can really think of is the sung soundtrack, instrumentally it fits perfectly. With lyrics like “I am 14 years old, I am pretty”, it really made some songs a bitter pill to swallow. The Borrower Arrietty, Arrietty or whatever you want to call it might feel more like homage to one of the most beloved film studios in the world and I, for one, do not construe that as a negative. This is a beautiful animated and affectionately told story with a cast of well-rounded characters that pays off in all the right ways. This film by director Hiromasa Yonebayashi is a perfect entry point to anime and all things Ghibli. Give it a watch if you get the chance but make sure it’s either in the original Japanese or the English dub. The cast of the American dub is enough to cause nightmares.

I think this anime is kind of unique, with mini sized human live as theme, makes me very interested to watch it and leave a deep feeling of it. The shades of fantasy is so strong but not exaggerate. Story: It a simple one, with fine pace, without any boring scene. Ending is almost perfect. Art & Sound are so-so, I like the background art of it, I don't really have any comment except that. Characters: the design was fine, either with their personality, seiyu voice are suited well. Enjoyment: I think Karigurashi no Arrietty will be enjoyable by anyone, although they're not an anime fan. As I mentioned it before, it leave a deep feeling for me, so for me it feels like there's not enough if watch it just one time, makes me want to rewatch it again.

It's hard coming to terms with the gradual disillusionment with Studio Ghibli. Save for a handful of classics, once you look past some initially pretty visuals, you'll see the empty, wasted potential of a film. And unfortunately, this one is one of those duds. The greatest fumble here is the narrative. It's an unfocused, shallow hackjob of cobbled together plots and plot seedlings that never develop or go anywhere, or if they do, amount to nothing. The film sows seeds near the beginning of numerous lines for the movie to follow. Sho's illness, his being pawned off on his aunt for convalescence while his mother goes to another country, with a mentioned-in-one-line divorce on top of this. The possibility of all these other Borrower families, their disappearance or perhaps even extinction, or Arrietty's blossoming into adulthood, independence, and self-sufficiency. The historic relationships of the Borrowers and Sho's family that's hinted at numerous times throughout the film. Haru's interest in the little people. The film raises all these possible issues, and fleshes out absolutely none of them. Instead, it foregoes these to be a run-of-the-mill Smurf's episode where Gargamel (Haru) is cooking up a silly scheme only for it to blow up in his (her) face. It's just so mind-boggling how they could set up all these possible plot threads and instead go for a stupid, Saturday morning cartoon plot, of a filler episode nonetheless. It makes you wonder, was it the budget, was it time constraints? Or perhaps, and more likely, the writers and directors are just idiots. On another note, the animation and visuals here are another letdown. No, I don't mean the movement of the characters. In fact, as far as a scaled down animated film, this is one of the best. I especially appreciate how well everything is kept in scale. But what I'm harping on here is the facial expressions. Sho is so blank-faced and unexpressive throughout the entire film. Like a goldfish staring at you through the bowl, he doesn't let any emotion past his utterly bland face. To it's credit, Arrietty, her mom, and Haru have basic expressions that convey simple emotions well enough. But forget about any complex emotions or expression from any characyer, especially Sho, his aunt, Arrietty's Dad, and the wild Borrower. The Engrish vocal tracks are also extremely off-putting. Not just in their lyrical failings, but their utilization in this film. They come in strong and swell even more. It's unnecessarily loud to the point where I was trying to focus on my tinnitus instead. In the middle of the film, the background music is fine, but specifically at the start and end of the movie, the implementation and selection of the music is just horrid. A lilliputian adventure in a normal-sized world is a perfect fantasy setting that should be pretty hard to fuck up. But that's precisely what happens here. Peel back the charm and you get a disappointingly shallow narrative with cut corners and astoundingly poor directorial decisions rearing their head. Seems like this is par for the course for 90% of Ghibli films.

Arrietty is a tiny person. When I say tiny, I mean only about 10cm tall! The tiny people live in the house of a sickly human boy named Sho, who has always heard about the little people of the house from his mother. Arrietty and her family are borrowers, tucked away in the house and ‘borrowing’ items that the humans are unlikely to notice are missing. After narrowly escaping being seen by Sho whilst outside, Arrietty is excited to start on her first borrowing herself, with her father, Pod. When an encounter with Sho leaves her family very concerned, Arrietty must decide whether the bridge into the human world is one which she wishes to cross. So lets start with the characters. We have the suspicious house keeper, Haru, who is totally onto the family of borrowers. She’s quite a nuisance and you began to hate her weird reaction to the little people. Sho is quite tranquil and is not super insistent in intruding into the lives of the little people…rather, he leaves them little (or should i say huge) gifts like sugar cubes that will last them many cups of tea. We have Spiller, the outsider caveman little person that shows Arrietty and her family that there is life beyond their hideaway house. Arrietty’s mother and father keep things in their house running. From making tea to ensuring they have enough ‘borrowed’ resources, they work quite well as a team. In terms of the plot, I personally felt it was quite lacking. Their is quite a bit of exposition on how the little people steal the things they need and seeing from their perspective is quite fun. Bugs, rats and birds are not their friend! They have glowing red eyes and are out to get them, but Arrietty turns out not to be such a weakling after she arms herself with a pin. The tension and story progression is what appeared most lacking to me. Arrietty hates Sho and hates how encountering him has turned her life upside down. And then she doesn’t anymore. There are no true villains, except for Haru, who really falls short in that criteria. She does look like a titan from Attack on Titan though…so bonus points for that? The relationship between Arrietty and Sho was meant to be deep, meaningful and a merging of their worlds of the little and big human beans. Did I mention they call them human beans? No idea why, but this movie is filled with nature and foliage, which is definitely the most visually appealing aspects of this anime. Arrietty really only comes to him out of desperation, he helps her out and thus they have an eternal bond forever that can never be overcome by any obstacle right? Wrong. Really, not much happens at all between them. Sho wants a glimpse into Arrietty’s world which she doesn’t want to provide, but when there is no way around collaborating with Sho, she does. So romantic right? Even though the romance/companionship is quite strange and hollow in the first place, the significance of Arrietty giving her little ‘borrowed’ hair clip to Sho was quite cute. The animation, though was pleasing, didn’t appear extremely memorable to me. Though the huge tissue boxes, sugar cubes and Arrietty’s little home and the dollhouse were well detailed and pleasing to the eyes, nothing really stood out to me.The music on the other hand is lovely, with Arrietty’s song carrying with it the magic that this movie was trying to portray. There are too many questions left unanswered. Where are all the other little people like Arrietty? Why did Sho’s mother leave her critically ill child with his Aunt? Quite a jerky move by the way. My favourite character was most definitely the sassy yet dependable cat. You can never go wrong with cats in an anime. Go check this out if you’re looking for a nice relaxing break from the human world.

First I would like to make known that this movie is a masterpiece. Its animation is so vivid and colorful that the first five minutes of watching you will be amazed at what you are seeing including the environment in a whole. If you all have seen the borrowers when you were younger like I have this is falling the same aspect, little people living their own lives trying to stay away from people and animals and borrowing food from humans that they will not notice has gone missing. The Story is outstanding. The difficulties the borrows have with the humans, the animals and the conflict that expands between the humans and the borrowers is very emotional. The story in itself will keep you seated and wanting to finish watching. Now let me discuss to you the art which to me is award winning. The graphic design and layout is award winning. Comparing the layout with the borrowers is amazing to see the world through their eyes. This movie is very colorful and magical in a sense. Overall arrietty is enjoyable, lovable and sweet all in all. I'm sure all will fall in love with this colorful and fun animated movie.

Movie production is amazing, but its not enough to grant a passable reception when film also requires a good story + story telling. And yet, this movie exceeds at doing nothing special, even as an adaptation. If you want a great fantasy story, look elsewhere. If you want an average story about fantasy, this is the plain film to watch. An 8 score is what this movie can receive as proof that if you take away the nice art, you are left with a boring story. There were so many ways of making a fantasy story about small people interesting, but this isn't one of them. The magical appearance of a woman in tall grass gives off a "fairy world" vibe, but the film as a whole is only somewhat of a fantasy. Nothing more boring than watching a plain 2 hour story that's carried slowly on a modern graphical fidelity. Yawn. Modern anime shows do the same thing without the need of being so lack luster in its plot or pace. The pros about this movie is that it has Ghibli brand to it. The Cons: if it wasn't a Gibli film most would rate this a 6 or 7 for its lackluster story and enjoyment. Again, many ways this could have been better by utilizing the small world fantasy, but it was more tone-down than anything, you're better off watching Honey I shrunk the kids or Steven Spielberg's Strange Magic. As far as story, the main cast could deserve better love as I'm sure whatever adaptation their from they have more character than what was portrayed in this film. 8 for mediocrity. A good film to watch when you're bored. A bad joke for being a Ghibli movie by the absurd mundane quality of needing modern graphics to carry the entire story appeal. Plus, the characters were so flat, it was just dumb. 8/10 because its Ghibli.

I loved the movie; it has been several months since I felt an urge to write down my emotions, after watching the movie . My analysis begins with the tear-drawing part of the movie. I wiped when Arrietty and Sho exchanging a forever farewell. When Arrietty grabbed Sho's finger cried, I couldn't help but follow her. From the opening narration, we knew that Sho only stayed at house for a week. So whatever romance happened during this course, it would not last longer than a week. Of course, having watched so many romantic movies, we know that directors can always somehow carve the love story deep and unforgettable. In Arrietty and Sho's case, their love is extremely sweet and innocent, but moreover, they are destined not to be together-unrequited love. Arrietty grew up in an isolated social environment. She did not communicate to anyone but her parents. Even though "all humans are dangers" must have been ingrained into her mind; young and inexperienced as she was, she would still easily fall for a human's kindness, which could either be a disastrous trap or a precious encounter. We all were glad that this time it was the later one. She fell to Sho, so wholeheartedly. We can tell from her mindlessly thinking of him all the time, exposing herself over and over again in front of him. After each time, she grew more love and hence collected more courage to know more of him, despite the threat and serious consequences. If she had not possessed such a passionate, curious, simple and brave heart, she would never step further towards him. For Sho, we did not know a whole lot about him; he might have friends at school; he also might never attend much school or have the opportunity to become really close to anyone, especially when he expected the end of his life to arrive soon. His strong affection towards Arrietty originated from his curiosity, after connecting what his mom told him with what he witnessed in the yard. He didn't know if these borrowers had emotions just like humans, or if they talked, or if they named themselves. Being pushed by his curiosity, he decided to ask more and more from Arrietty-from her family, her name, to her appearance. Then he found out the great similarities between them, and immediately he fell in love, too. When people suffer from life-threatening disease, they want comfort but are afraid to confess so. Sometimes, they do not ask protection from others to avoid exerting more burdens. Sho is obviously one of them: he seldom bother Haru or his grandma and he did not complain about her parents' absence before such an important surgery. However, Arrietty's position is almost perfect for Sho to ask for some emotional catharsis. Since he had feelings for her, her kindness could easily cheer him up. Sho could not receive physical protection from Arrietty like he did from many others; instead, Arrietty needed protection from Sho, which made him see the worthiness of his existence. Arrietty is also constantly exposed to various life-threatening dangers, hence she and Sho commiserate. In addition, Arreitty is not really a human so I guess Sho would assume that his bad health condition did not upset her as to a human love interest. In addition, Xiang was a nice person, except that he was too pushy sometimes. He did not try to hide his eagerness of knowing more about her and she did show willingness to reveal more of her life to him, hence his being pushy was justified more or less. He was never aggressive (in human standard) or forced or lured Arrietty to do anything. He treated her with honesty; as much as he liked her, he never tried to persuade her to stay by promising to give her full protection. He gave full understanding to their moving and apologized for his behalves. (Even though Sho acted in very immature and inconsiderate way a lot of the time, such as breaking into their home and talking discouraging words to Arrietty in the garden. By comparison, Arrietty was more mature. Most of the silly things she did were meant to protect the family. ) Furthermore, Sho and Arriety indeed suited each other. Besides the previously mentioned balanced protection between them, they were different enough to arouse each other's interest and at the same time similar enough to constitute a philosophical conversation and to feel on the same intellectual level with each other, unlike Arrietty and Spiller, who obviously grew up in a less civilized environment and didn't share the same culture as Arrietty's family. From Arriety, Sho was offered the courage to continue his life; from Sho, Arrietty experienced the feeling of being loved, falling in love, being protected, and being cared by a human boy, which she probably would never go through again. They had to say goodbye. They knew it from the beginning, but still chose to love, which was the most sad as well as the best part of it. They liked each other for the sake of love itself, not for any material motivation. We probably all experienced unrequited love. More than often, we constrained our feelings because the moment of waving the forever goodbye is too painful. But Arrietty and Sho did not. Because their feelings developed naturally and they were too young, time was too limited to allow them to think it twice; as a result, they opened their heart to this unrequited love; the goodbye, the unavoidable moment, broke all of our hearts. How many times, in our life, we wished time could freeze, and we wouldn't care about not seeing any more of the world but being in that moment for the rest of our life? But time does not stop, it goes on. And there is the ending, a sad one because Arrietty and Sho parted forever, a happy one because they confessed their love to each other. There are times, when love itself means much more than being together. At the very end, Arrietty accepted a berry from Spiller. It is very plausible that they would get married in the future, perhaps not for love, but for the continuation of their species. Being together with someone she doesn't truly adore in the romantic way could be very hard, worse than being alone. But Arrietty does not have a choice. Many of us face similar situation, marrying someone because we reach the age for marriage, because our family background matches, or because there does not seem to be anyone else. In fact, we don't have to do so, because we don't carry the same responsibility as Arrietty. At least for myself, I will listen to my heart rather than submit to the reality. Now, I will turn to the main theme delivered by the movie. The borrower is compared with other endangered species by Sho. Obviously, the borrower is a unique existence from several aspects. They really do like human in so many ways, their intelligence, their appearance, their physical structure, their physiological made-ups, heir culture and their emotions. However, their physical size is too small and their existence must be kept a secret from human, which together put them in danger. Of course, their intelligence helps them survive. But on the other hand, their life is much more difficult to live than humans. We are not afraid of creatures around our houses, first of all. But even mice right outside their door can threaten the borrower's life. In other words, the borrower's body is as delicate as humans, but they have more natural enemies. In addition, we humans live our individual life with support from thousands other human beings. But the borrowers are all on their own. Furthermore, they have to hide their existence all the time from human. With more and more humans born to this world, it becomes harder and harder to hide themselves from humans. Therefore, this specie is indeed doomed, indeed destined to die out. However, their dying out can be a lose to the world. Even though they are not essential to the biotic pyramid, they are special in a way that we can't help feel sad about losing their genomes. In order to survive all this way, the borrower must possess great imagi…

My impressions on Arrietty The level of detail in this incredible hand drawn animation is breath-taking, and can only be attributed to the studio that's worthy of its name. By now we are probably all familiar with the surreal magic Studio Ghibli casts on their art, the settings and environments are so vibrant and well... indescribable. But our high expectations of Ghibli's work does not dampen our amazement every time we begin one of their films, this time I was completely blown away by how much creativity was poured into the daily functions of the 'Borrowers', how and what they use to operate, what they call their humble abode, we see unparalleled amounts of resourcefulness. Watching this movie was like being zapped with a shrink ray until you are nothing but a few inches tall, and then being thrown into somebody's home that's not actually too far away from your own. What we discard as unused little objects, items with as much value as one cube of sugar or a single sheet of napkin, the 'Borrowers' risk their lives in the form of adventure to procure. The plot and characters of the film loosely relates to the novel 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton, however Sho/Shawn's character (David Henrie) was given a complete overhaul, while Arrietty (Bridget Mendler) showed some areas of consistency with her book-ly counterpart. Let's talk about Arrietty's parents for a minute, their characters are quite fundamental in striking realism into the film. While Arrietty seems like the curious, adventure driven girl and Sho being the soft spoken, kind boy that he is, the majority of the audience (children, but not subject to) look for elements of themselves in our two main characters. But the deal breaker that really makes the film speak to us is the portrayal of Homily (Amy Poehler) and Pod (Will Arnett), Homily being the over worrying mother and Pod the stoic but protective father involves us into a situation where we honestly relate to the entirely different yet, at the same time unusually familiar world of 'Borrowers'. Like many Ghibli films, the protagonist embarks on a journey experiencing new things, but ends up learning the most about themselves through self discovery (Spirited Away and Howl's come to mind). The actual plot of Arrietty in terms of a 'sequence of events', seem like the happenings of everyday life, quite mundane and nothing spectacular IF you were a typical human being. However, we are not given the perspective of a typical human being, we've been minimized to pocket size and that's the beauty of it, suddenly birds become the size of dragons, and your local pest control can be something straight out of a nightmare. Sho/Shawn's character seemed to contain a lot more potential than was presented, and personally I was somewhat puzzled that nothing else was made of him after the ending. That beautiful doll house did seem like the perfect end game for Arrietty's family but would have made the film too predictable. A bittersweet farewell between our main characters was the ending that evokes more thought as well as sadness and not just for the children of the audience. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't slightly disappointed, my interest was piqued but before I was prescribed enough information about Arrietty, about the 'Borrowers' and about Sho, the movie had abruptly finished. The entire movie was an ordeal that ended just as mysteriously as it began, where did the 'Borrowers' come from? Where did Arrietty and her family go? What happens to Sho?

I've reviewed several Stiudio Ghibli films since I started doing these. Most of which have gotten positive reviews. The only exception has been Tales from Earthsea. Unfortunately, that's also the newest Studio Ghibli film I've reviewed. Or it was. Today I'll be looking at The Secret World of Arrietty and hoping that Tales from Earthsea isn't a sign of things to come. If you've read The Borrowers you probably have a pretty good idea of the basic plot. A sick child moves to his aunt's large house way out in the country. He's heard stories of little people from his mother and he quickly spots one, an adventurous young girl named Arrietty. The two of them speak with each other and he decides to try to make their lives easier, not knowing that borrowers can't stay somewhere after they've been spotted. The film does a very good job of keeping the main focus of the story intact but also making it dynamic and interesting, even if you've read the story. The conflicts they set up are interesting and they have a lot of tension. The cast of characters is pretty small and Studio Ghibli does a great job making them all very fleshed out and interesting. They interact well with one another and it really helps drive the story. The only exception is Spiller who only gets a couple of scenes and doesn't do much. As a result he feels pretty two dimensional. The art is amazing. There's so much attention to detail and the colours are very vivid. I know, Studio Ghibli art is always excellent. That's why it surprised me that they actually outdid themselves with this one. The voice acting is great. It's very natural and the entire cast does a good job at expressing emotions subtly and in a way that enriches the film. I especially enjoyed the performances of Miura Tomokazu, Kamiki Ryunosuke and Shida Mirai. It's especially impressive when you notice that none of them have a lot of voice acting experience. The music is beautiful and really helps setup a spectacular tone. The yuri factor is a 1/10. There is no yuri here. My final rating for the Secret World of Arrietty is a 9.5/10. It's an amazing film that's compelling from start to finish with all of the charm that Studio Ghibli usually offers. If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli's work you'll definitely enjoy this.

"No friendship is too small." Here I start to wonder whether or not I could relate to that. All jokes aside, this is a kid's movie.The film’s genre is fantasy that stretches out to the Shonen and Seinen crowds. The story itself holds common qualities from all Ghibli films: adventurous, graceful, enchanting and simply lovable. The plot is very simple and holds the basic concepts from the original British novel: The Borrowers. The conflict is a pretty broad concept of keeping the very existence of the Borrowers a mystery so that they can actually live safe lives. The plot progresses pretty well and shows effortless mastery. Here our characters are all equal and just as expressive—whether they are normal sized or the size of your fingers. Arrietty: the adventurous, kind, courageous and optimistic protagonist of the film. She is a pretty strong character in terms of standing out and helps the plot run pretty smoothly. Shawn is the sickly boy that holds the curiosity of Arrietty. He is very kind-hearted, generous, understanding and gives the kids a good feel for what a true friend should be like. Homily is the paranoid mother who’s always worried and can be seen to be slightly pessimistic at times, but that’s just her worrying most likely. Then we have Jessica (Sadako in the Japanese version) who plays as Aunt Sophy from the original novel. We also have Arrietty’s father Pod who is, by the description kindly provided by Homily, “the most talented Borrower”—he is the provider of the family and proves to be pretty cool. Finally we have Hara, the house maid (serves as the parallel to Rosa Pitchhacket from the novel.) Poor Hara has the role of the antagonist who is seen as cruel to the Borrowers and treats them like insects/pests (she does keep Homily inside a jar such as one would put a lady bug inside a jar as well with a plastic cover.) The art is up to par with the rest of the Ghibli titles. This statement is in no way a criticism, it is a praise of their work—their films always portray simple designs that somehow are always achieving an easy flow. The movements of the scenery and characters give off a majestic enchantment to the viewers eyes that could set for a relaxing view. Ghibli art is always spectacular and should always be praised. The main theme was “Arrietty’s Song” by Cecile Corbel. Cecile is a young and aspiring French musician who so happened to produce the film’s score. She is a very, very talented musician and from the sheer quality of the score, any listener should become a fan of hers and encourage her to continue her career with Ghibli and Disney. Even the score itself still shows some Asian-like elements that give the anime feel that also nicely compliments the art while keeping the spirit of adventure in every track with united dynamics to make one ominous harmony of grace. I later discovered the U.S. theme for the film that was titled “Summertime” by Disney start Bridgit Medler, who also did the voice of Arrietty. As expected from a Disney star’s music, there is an over-used style of pop that was utilized—which in my opinion lowers the standard of Cecile’s single and serves as a great disappointment. It is mediocre; however it is designed to attract younger kids. Besides “Summertime”, I loved the score and overall sounds of the film. I personally enjoyed the film myself enough to watch all of the translations, re-watch the Japanese on my own time and the U.K. version with my sibling a few dozen times. I saw my parents enjoy it and found it to be watchable. I give this film a good eight out of ten over all; however I would rate the U.S. version a seven out of ten. I feel it is safe to assume that most families would find this film as not only enjoyable and watchable, but to think of this film as a piece of excellence—such as the other Ghibli works are and always will be.

I saw the latest Studio Ghibli film, "The Secret World of Arrietty". I've been wanting to do a review on this since looking back.....I kinda over-exaggerated a bit. Saying that it's one of the studio's best, then looking back....I can see some flaws to the film. The Story A 14 year old boy named Shaun goes over to live with his great aunt. Where a tiny group of people called "Borrowers" live under the floors. Although, the name "Borrowers" does sound misleading because there technically STEALING. But it doesn't teach about theft. They just take things that humans won't miss. Like sugar, tissues, soap, and other stuff that they need for survival. But when a young girl Arrietty is seen by the boy, there chances for survival are on thin ice. Now the story is where most of the films flaws come from. The idea of tiny people living in the real world is nothing new. But unlike other films that have unoriginal ideas or stories, *cough* Avatar *cough* It does come with new things. Like the Borrowers lifestyle. You see how they would live with a doll like house, how they roam the house, and what small elements they would use like humans would use. Another flaw is that some answers, characters, and story elements are a bit underdeveloped. Like the issues of moving or being the last of your kind. But that didn't bother me that much. That and pacing of this film is slow, but not to a point where it's boring. I honestly think that could be a good thing. I think a break from loud, and intense films and just watching a nice quiet film would be nice for some people. Sure the story is a bit weak, but not as much as films like Avatar. The Animation Now this is one of the films strongest points. Not only does it feature the studio's signature features, but it also comes with new aspects. Like how most of the backgrounds have the look and feel of paintings. Another fun thing about the animation is the tools that the borrowers have. From using duck tape to climb walls, to using pins as swords. Not to mention the details of the house. If you look closely, you could see some neat things. Like stamps are framed like pictures, parts of doll houses are used as rooms or the kitchen, and roly poly's are played with like balls when rolled up. One more cool aspect are the animals in the borrower world. Insects like grass hoppers, ants, and others are pet size, while the house cat is seen as a dangerous creature. The animation can be considered another new thing that the film can offer to us. The Characters This is probably my favorite aspect of the movie. These characters are a lot of fun to watch. Arrietty is a pretty interesting character. She's very curious and daring, though open-minded and smart. When she makes a mistake, we REALLY feel for her and want her to fix them. Then there are the parents, Homily and Pod. Homily is the worrying mother, and actually, it does make sense for her to worry a lot. There race is possibly dangered and there are many dangers to being a borrower. Pod I found very interesting, because he never flips out when Arrietty does something wrong, he just stays calm and complements her to cheer her up. I found that to be kinda subtle. Plus, his voice and character design kinda reminded me of Clint Eastwood. Am I the only one who thought that? Then there's the boy Shaun. Who is a pretty tragic character. He has a heart problem that he had all of his life, and is possibly dying because of it. He's getting heart surgery, but he's not to sure of it. What's worse, is that his parents are too busy to see him or comfort him, which leads to being lonely. Sure it sounds like a stretch, but it does make sense why he wants to be friends with Arrietty. Then there are characters that are underdeveloped like Spiller. Who's very interesting, but only appears in two scenes. Then there's the caretaker/villain who I found to be pretty weak. She's basically a female Denzel Crocker, who wants to catch these borrowers to prove there existence, and that she's not crazy. The boy and the borrower family are the best characters, because you REALLY feel for them. You want this family to be safe, and you want to boy to survive. So this film did it's part with the characters, PERFECTLY. Well....for most of them at least. This film may have some vibes to Pocahontas and Avatar, but it has something that those 2 films lacked.....Interesting characters. The Dub Now typically Disney did the dub for the American release, and it's obvious that they would include there Disney Channel stars and singers. But honestly....it's done pretty well. I'd say it's Disney's best dub of a Studio Ghibli film since Howl's Moving Castle. I think Brigit Mendler made Arrietty a lot more entertaining, but did she REALLY need to sing that crappy song at the end? -_-; Will Arnett is surprising as the dad, because this is the same guy who works on SNL, and been in films like "The Brothers Solomon". Which makes the serious side of his acting very interesting. One thing I found amusing about the dub, is that it also includes Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett. Who also worked on another film about tiny people "Horton Hears a Who". Plus, there roles in this film are VERY identical to the roles in Horton. Amy Poehler plays the mom in both films, and Carol Burnett plays the villain in both films. Maybe that was some kind of shout out maybe? Then there's David Henrie as Shaun. Who was probably to weaker part of the dub. I'm not saying he was bad, in fact he did a descent job, but I felt that his voice sounded a bit to old for a 14 year old. Although I could be wrong. So yeah, the dub may have flaws, but thank GOD that it didn't have Miley Cyrus or one of the Jonas Brothers. (Shudders) Conclusion The Secret World of Arrietty is a great way to start out 2012 for animated films. Even if the story and pacing is a bit weak, it makes up for it with it's Charm, Creativity, Great Animation, and VERY interesting and likable characters. (Despite there underdevelopment) Is it as good as films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service? No. But I found it way more entertaining then the studios previous film, Ponyo. Sure I may've over exaggerated a bit at first, but that was because it cheered me up after a long school week. I don't know about you guys, but I would like to see a sequel of this. I mean, there are more books in "The Borrowers" series, so I don't see why they couldn't make one. Maybe it could explore more of the themes and characters that were underdevelopment in this film. Like seeing more borrowers, and exploring the character Spiller. (I keep seeing pictures of him paired up with Arrietty....hhhhhhhmmmmm) My Rating: 4 Stars out of 5.

The plot is an adaptation of the first book, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, in a 5 book series. If one wanted to see where the plot goes from where they leave at the end you could read the series to find out. Since the movie screenplay is by Miyazaki I would expect a lot of differences with the book being much more unfocused, boring, and lacking in thematic depth (the differences in the synopsis suggest as much). The art/animation quality is top-notch and the movie has a decent amount of effort to give life to the world of the little people with plenty of charm and attention to detail with fun things like water physics at small scales and repurposing human items into their own scavenger culture and such. However, the mundane Earth setting does lack a certain charm in the absence of fantastical originality. The plot is juvenile and severely lacking in substance as very little actually happens. The antagonist lady is cartoonishly evil for no real reason, I shudder to think what she would do to someone suffering from dwarfism. The mother's character is pretty much to be an annoying victim... which is annoying. The father is a generic stoic rock, which is serviceable but uninteresting. Arrietty and the boy (but really all the characters) lack much of any character motivations. It's mostly just a SoL adventure where they're all just going about their day living life. Arrietty barely (needlessly) uses the pin-sword she 'borrows' despite the amount of importance they pointlessly put on it. She even uses a little spatula tool more, fighting off a bug before finding the pin. The whole borrowing vs stealing theme they're going for always catches me as very silly: 'We're the Borrowers. We don't steal, we just borrow!' (without ever giving back). There are a few logical inconsistencies: there's a handlebar access hatch in the closet floor directly opening to the house of the borrowers that apparently no one in the entire current family let alone the housemaid noticed until we cut to the boy immediately having already found their location with it. (This access hatch implies that an older generation of house owners set up the borrower's house for them before both later generations forgot/stopped trusting each other). They play very fast and loose with how audible some sounds would be and how much mass/strength would be needed to perform certain actions they do. The ending is quite lacking as well since there was very little to wrap up in the first place. The only notable differences between the (Disney American) English dub and sub: Aside from some added little bits of dialogue and overall improvements to lines, the English dub censors a little political environmentalist speech the boy gives about how there are 7 billion humans on the planet and barely any traces of the little people and all the species he's read about that have died out, so they'll likely die out just as many other species have as mortality is the fate of all life which she wants to struggle to change which then ties into his own mortality fears. They censor it by replacing it with a repetitive 'fate is fate but maybe if we do something to change fate we can change fate and survive' dialogue to tie into his mortality fears. The English dub also closes the open ending of the sub by adding in a little epilogue narration aside by the boy: "I never saw her again. But the following summer I returned, and was happy to hear the people in the house down the road talking about how many things in their home had gone... missing." Confirming that the boy lived through his surgery and similarly for Arrietty's family being fine. The English dub also adds a hilariously generic modern summer romance pop song to end the movie added after the English version of the original song made for this movie. There's also a UK (non-Disney) English dub, but it is overall woefully cold and lacking in many of the additional charming little lines added in by the Disney dub. Nonetheless both do some lines better than the other. 7/10 (where 5/10 is average)

[This review was also published in my Anime Planet account] Hiromasa Yonebayashi is an interesting case to follow. This literal nobody who just directed his first feature film in Studio Ghibli ended up being the closest the studio has ever been to an answer for its future. In Karigurashi no Arrietty there is a lot of Miyazaki... in fact, one could say that it is a Miyazaki movie in disguise, and wouldn't be far off seeing his work in its writing and supervision. Coming from somebody who absolutely adores the work of Hayao Miyazaki, Yonebayashi's debut feature took me by surprise as something that could not only hold up to its clear predecessor, but also, surprisingly, a movie that demonstrates a level of understanding about how this style works that is absolutely stunning for a newbie. The story of Karigurashi no Arrietty is one of conflicting worldviews. It is of utmost importance that this contrast is enhanced properly by every layer of the narrative and the way it succeeds at doing so is perhaps its single greatest achievement. There is a constant sense of scale to its visual presentation and sound. Particularly for the first, there is a whole exercise in reimagination of the mundane from the perspective of the borrowers that I'm quite sure it would be the most appealing element of the novels and that this movie captures beautifully, showing an entirely different environment contained in a larger, more familiar setting. For the second, the use of sound effects to better capture the contrast in points of view between the humans and the borrowers is something astounding, specially with how it magnifies and reverberates them to create oddly tense and thrilling atmospheres. This is true specially for one of, or perhaps the best sequence of a Ghibli movie in the present decade. I'm talking about the first incursion, whose merits in aesthetic presentation for narrative contrast and escalation of the resulting conflict can't be emphasized enough. But it's not like the aesthetic merits of this film should be reduced to its constant awareness of the scale. This movie also understands with surprising accuracy the principles of visual narrative that every Miyazaki movie holds. Particularly outstanding is the level of character acting in every instance. From the reckless enthusiasm of Arrietty, a fair mix of self-confidence and naïvety that perfectly comes to life in an early mirror sequence and later on we see shattered, to the tranquil gestures of Shou that show how his delicate health has left him sedated and weak. From the stoic but accessible look of Pod that Arrietty admires, to the pure nervousness that Homily is. Even the character I have most issues with, Haru, is a delight to see when the movie just focuses on observing her energetic and enthusiastic, at times oddly infantile, gestures that in a way also add a sense of scale in the conflict she generates. Another thing that screams Miyazaki from every angle is the attention to detail when animating certain sequences with filler moments, like the first misstep trying to scare away a raven or the inconsequential struggle of opening a deteriorated window. This "waste" of animation effort is something that I enjoy a lot because it makes a lot of Ghibli movies look more immediate and less scripted than the usual for this medium. The scenery, as well, is worth the mention. I like two details in special: the scales of green color used for the vegetation of the garden and the use of weather to further emphasize overall feelings and create different nuances to the same environment. The soundtrack by Cécile Corbel, which combines instrumental and lyrical songs, has some slight issues at times due to aesthetic dissonance, but most of the time it works and adds to the mood, and is absolutely delightful to listen either way. My main issue with this film is the storyline, and to be more specific, the last thirty minutes. Then again, the first time I watched it my answer was, I think, more negative than it is now, perhaps because I have been able to better identify the single major issue I have with this. It's not like there is a problem with having some action and tension, the problem is how abrupt the transition from slow and observational slice-of-life to this single-focused action feels. On the other hand, Haru is a character I have grown to like but I still can comprehend and empathize with less than others, and I think part of the reason for that is because she walks a thin line between enthusiastic and jerky, and the movie doesn't properly choose one over the other. She is a clear antagonist, but at times she feels like a proper villain and at times just innocently childish. It's a strange combination of traits and I'm not sure if they work well together. That aside, I absolutely adore every other aspect of its narrative. The conflicting viewpoints of Shou and Arrietty, their growing relationship and the character development of Arrietty, and above all, the observational tone it sets for most of this narrative, taking its time to develop latent personal conflicts and filling it with routine sequences that help make the introspective journey fittingly slow-paced and methodical. Overall, Karigurashi no Arrietty is a movie that I can't help but love due to how much it clicks with those aspects of Ghibli, and Miyazaki's filmography in specific, I am a big fan of. This is not entirely positive, on the other hand, and after all Yonebayashi's problems to develop a style of his own are still present in his filmography. But as an imitation, you don't get better than this one. And a great Miyazaki movie is always welcome, no matter who directs it.

Finally watched _Arrietty_. First, the good: the animation is beautiful, the backgrounds rival any Ghibli movie ever, the details are there and they are striking, ranging from increasing the volume of things like clock ticks to water acting realistically on the small scale (eg. the mother pours out 1 or 2 droplets of tea, not a stream of tea). The music by Corbele is fantastic, and I don't think Hisaishi would've done it better. The character design is nice (Arrietty is the cutest Ghibli protagonist since Princess Mononoke_), and as already said, the world is well-designed. The house is a character in its own right. The bad? Well, there's starting to be an element of self-parody or plagiarism in Ghibli movies: as it opened, I thought 'ah, the road from _Spirited Away_, ah, this boy looks exactly like _Howl's Moving Castle_ or maybe that other movie, ah, this is the cat from _Whisper of the Heart_!' The serious issue though is that the plot is *terrible*. The servant Haru is just pointlessly malevolent and hates the little people - literally, she even scowls and watches from the shadows and locks the prince in his room! The closest the movie comes to any kind of reason is one or two throw-away lines about them being thieves. Sho has no need for a 'heart disease' (or as I like to call it, 'anime sickness') except, like Haru herself, to fake some dramatic tension; further, he is made to hold the idiot ball repeatedly, like when he rips off the roof of their house without a second thought (what could possibly go wrong?!) or when he carefully hides all his traces... except for the crowbar lying right in front of the door (how did the door even close? how did Sho forget about the crowbar in the first place?). The dialogue between Arrietty and Sho at the end is ham-fisted, Miyazaki at his environmental moralizing worst (with some potential cracks at the Japanese for not reproducing, if I'm not reading that in). The plot could've been perfectly fine just laying out the gradual meeting of humans and Borrowers and finishing with them living in the doll house, but no... About the only good thing I have to say about the story itself is that it had the honesty to have the Borrowers move out, and didn't do a last-minute Hollywood 'all is fixed' ending.

This review is both in ENGLISH and FRENCH. I took advantage of today's broadcasting on NRJ12 (French 12th channel) of Arriety to watch it. Story : 7/10 A sympathetic cute story about a sick boy who discovers the existence of some tiny people living under the family home. The story is pretty simple, no need to be complicated to make a beautiful story by the way. But I found it lacks of developments, maybe because the movie is only 90 min long but you easily get into it. However, the scenario is pretty unique since it is not the standard hero who goes saving everybody in the freakin' world but helps a few people in bringing his modest contribution to them at his humble level. There also isn't the same everlasting scheme about a young boy/girl going on an adventure to find answers/relatives/peace/whatever... It just shows how you can act for the better in your way and it is quite touching. Plus, the desperate boy regains hope while understanding the way of life and the dangers these people are exposed to. The ending left me wanting more. I felt like it was unfinished (cf. Characters). Art : 8/10 As always, the realistic Ghibli style worked on me. Beautiful yet simple. The animation is deliberately slow to enhance the fantasy part of the movie. The art suits pretty well a « slice of life » story. Nothing else to say. Sound : 10/10 The music is incredibly beautiful, so soft, soothing. It gives a dreamy side to the movie - in addition to the slowness of the animation – both making you feel like you're dreaming. It also enhances the emotional side at the right times. Fits perfectly the atmosphere of the movie! Rehear value : 10/10 The opening and ending are also really nice (at least for the music, the lyrics were for me in French) I can't talk about the voice acting since I watched it in French (French channel oblige). [By the way, it was quite good for a dub] Characters : 5/10 The characters' characters (sorry ^^'') are well defined, but they lack of something, their relationship is only superficial and that doesn't help liking them. Like I said in Story section, the movie may be too short in order to develop so you can't relate to them easily. Their flaws and strength are almost unnoticeable. The lack of any motivation for the « villain », the old lady, is harmful to the story. She just does what she does for... no reason. Enjoyment : 7/10 A good movie with beautiful music, simple story, quite touching, totally worth it if you have child to watch it with you. Not a complex and fascinating one, just a movie perfect to relax a bit after a hard day. Overall : 7.4/10 rounded up to a 8 on MAL because Ghibli x) FRENCH : Histoire : 7/10 Une histoire sans prétention, simple et mignonnette, à propos d'une jeune garçon malade qui découvre l'existence de petits êtres vivants dans les combles de la maison familiale (celui-ci étant chez sa tante en attendant son opération). La storyline est plutôt simple mais on ressent comme un manque de rebondissements (peut être dû à la durée du film), non pas que l'histoire soit prévisible mais ce manque se reflète sur les personnages (cf. section Personnages). Le scénario n'est pas standard dans le sens où il ne s'agit pas d'un jeune héros sauvant la Terre entière mais d'un garçon essayant d'aider une famille avec ses humbles moyens. Le scénario en devient touchant, des valeurs standards sont transmises par ce biais, sans être moralisateur pour un sou, comme par exemple la façon dont on peut agir pour le mieux, qu'il ne faut pas perdre espoir, et cela fait bien plaisir ! Cependant le film m'a vraiment laissé sur ma faim... Dessin/Animation : 8/10 Comme toujours, un bon Ghibli comme on les aime. Simple, beau, percutant, réaliste. L'animation est volontairement languissante ce qui renforce le côté nébuleux, fantastique du film. Un perfect match pour un film « tranche de vie ». Musique : 10/10 La musique est un pur chef-d’œuvre : incroyablement belle, douce et apaisante. Particulièrement bien utilisée, elle renforce les émotions transmises pendant des scènes clés. Même remarque pour l'OP/ED. Concernant les voix, j'ai eu droit à la VF (télé française oblige) et je ne peux donc pas juger de la VO. [La VF était plutôt bonne pour une fois] Personnages : 5/10 Des personnages un peu trop plats, d'autres trop peu développés, un sérieux handicap pour le film qui fait chuter sa note. Les relations entre eux sont très peu développées, à part peut-être pour les deux principaux protagonistes (et encore...). Il en est assez difficile de s'identifier aux personnages et c'est bien dommage. De plus, le « méchant » de l'histoire n'a absolument aucun motif valable pour nuire comme il le fait (ou alors au-delà de ma compréhension) Appréciation : 7/10 Un bon film, de bonnes musiques, une histoire simple, touchante (mais pas assez en raison du manque de développement des personnages). A recommander pour les amoureux des films toudoux ou des parents souhaitant profiter d'un bon film avec leurs enfants. Note globale : 7,4/10 arrondie à 8 pour MAL, effet Ghibli ^^)

i loved this movie..i watch it in UK dub version and they did a brilliant job and true justice to the characters...4 pointers why you should watch this movie.. 1-the plot is amazing filled with uncommon characters,who have their own problems to handle and how each one see the world is totally different the story gives us a important message TO NEVER GIVE UP ON LIFE AND TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO FACE IT MATTER WHAT..these days people need to hear it. 2- art was so beautiful,natural and smooth very quick and swift tooo...just like how real people would react in the situation..the emotions in the characters were carried out perfectly,sometimes they spoke less and show how they feel more i loved it,gives a fake smile to comfort and cry alone.... 3-sound was so sweet and trilling when the time comes,the opening and ending songs where perfectly matching to this anime i cried and smiled at the end because it was that touching,it touched my heart.... 4- i enjoyed it completely 100% the characters where so cute but serious,everything went well together so watch this masterpiece and enjoy the life you have to the fullest,P.S IT MADE BY STUDIO GHIBLI DO I HAVE TO SAY MORE!!WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR WATCH IT NOW!

This is my first ever studio Ghibli movie. For the longest time, tons upon tons of people have been raving about this studio's works, yet I haven't really bothered to look into any of them since they never captured my interest in terms of plot and stuff. Also I'm not going to see a movie just because a big name company is doing it. Finally my first experience with Ghibli was Arrietty. Arrietty was an alright movie. It had very beautififul scenery, where some objects were painted so realisticly, it dumbstruck me. The animation and voice acting was some of the best I've seen for an English dub, with the exception of Sho/Shawn which sounded too deep and monotone. :P The music was soothing to the human eardrums as well. The real problems that I had with the movie, was how underdeveloped everything was, substance wise, also how simple it was. I mean who cares if there are people that are the size of dolls living in a human's house "borrowing" (but stealing, actually. At least they should of used the word "taking" becuase it's a much softer word for stealing.XD) random pieces of crap, in order to live another day; And also to not get caught by the humans in the process. Also the main guy really took the "borrower" thing really well and pretty much wanted to be cool pals with the mini people almost instantly. Overall, I would only recommend this to people who really want to see a very visually stunning and harmless movie. Not recommended for the easily bored. XD