User Reviews

Now, unless you live in Japan and actually made it to one of the opening showings, I'm probably the only person reading this who has watched Arrittey so far. As such, I'm going to try my best to review the movie without giving any real spoilers away. And the first thing I have to say is, I thought Arrietty the Borrower was a wonderful movie. The entire film had this amazing feeling of being both unique from other Ghibli movies while still maintaining the parts that make almost all of the Studio's films so great. On the one hand, it had the huge imagination and fully realized and fantastically detailed world of a Miyazaki movie. On the other hand, it had a unique feeling of bittersweet melancholy and wonderful character interactions somehow unlike most of the films that have come before it.

While Miyazaki's screen writing clearly had some great effects on the movie, I could really feel the new directorial style of Yonebashi shining through. And it was so hard to believe this was his first film; I often feel like I should give Miyazaki Goro some slack for Earthsea because it was his first movie, but Arrietty just seemed so well thought-out and put together comparatively. This really makes me beyond excited to see what Yonebashi does in the future. There are many aspects of the film that deserve mention for how damn well-done they were; the beautiful animation, the strong voice-work, the great characters, the fantastic music. What is easily one of the standout points of the movie was how incredibly immersive the tiny world of the Borrowers was. Every part of their home, located beneath a pile of unused bricks stored under the human house, is made of small everyday items we hardly think about forgot junk that the Borrowers used so well as tools, furniture, decoration, everything. The sheer size of everything in comparison to them is striking, creating a strange world of adventure and dangers that are really just the most common, ignored of things to us humans. Perhaps my favorite scene is one where, very mild spoilers here, Arrietty's father takes her borrowing for the first time. They walk nimbly across nails sticking out from the foundations of the building, use construction staples as ladders, bouldering over the (to them) boulder sized junk lost between the walls of the house. Far bellow a few mice, the size of lions, scurry in the gloom, their eyes burning red. When Arrietty and her father final exit from between the walls into the darkened kitchen at night, the sheer enormity of the room, the intense sound of the looming and massive refrigerator, the sheer walls that compromise the sides of cabinets, they all take the breath out of both Arrietty and the viewer. That entire scene, where they use ingeniously use tiny household items to scale the counters to raid for sugar cubes a third their size, is simply amazing to watch. So many magical scenes like this made up the entire movie, but that was perhaps the best of them all. The characters are for the most part wonderful as well, though in some ways more subdued than Miyazaki tends to make his own. Arrietty is another in the long line of string Ghibli heroines, but like all of them manages somehow to be unique and wonderful all by herself. She's a young girl who's confident, kind, and capable, but is still unsure of herself at time. Sho, the young human she meets and the other main character, is a very strong character as well, his weak body and strong spirit in conflict, with a air or both peace and melancholy about him (like much of the movie, really). Another one of my favorites was Arrietty's father, who was both strong and quite, but in his own gruff way very kind and a great father. The rest of the cast is very good, though not quite as memorable.

As for the music for by Cécile Corbel, I'll admit that at first I was a little skeptical, but in the end the music fit the movie incredibly well and became another fantastic Ghibli soundtrack (which says something when you're included in the ranks among Hisaishi Joe). I love Celtic music myself, but those without that bias (the other 10 people I went with) all thought the music was one of the high points in a movie with a lot of really good points to discuss.

This really was an amazing first outing for Yonebashi as a director, and really one hell of a movie. My only complaints are that perhaps at times it seemed to slow down during the second half, but in the end it turned out so well I can hardly fault it for that. The movie had a sort of bittersweet feel that I really can't think of another Ghibli movie to compare to. Sad, joyous, and beautiful, Arrietty the Borrower is the newest Ghibli classic.

Sitting in the theater yesterday, I found myself peering up into the endless shadowy heights of a vast cavern, listening to the booming, deafening echo of a faraway...ticking clock.

The dark cavern was the bedroom of our supporting lead, Sho, a boy with a brave but rapidly failing heart; but at the moment, I was standing in the lovingly handmade boots of our heroine and main character, Arrietty the Borrower. It was her first time exploring a human habitation, no small task when you stand barely as tall as a child's finger, and it was impossible not to feel some of her sense of awe and wonder at the gigantic world unfolding around her.

This newest Ghibli film is filled with such tiny people, but nevertheless stands a cut above the studio's recent releases ("Howl's Moving Castle", "Tales from Earthsea", even "Ponyo"), delivering a warm and evocative experience that stays with the viewer long after leaving the theater.

Pacing and plot have been stumbling blocks for Ghibli in recent years, with their otherwise delightful films spinning wildly out of control in visually fascinating but bewildering finales. "Arrietty" thankfully breaks this pattern. The film is beautifully paced and stays true to the spirit of its source material, establishing an engaging world and then carrying the viewer through a well-crafted tale that twists here and there without flying off the tracks before coasting to an ending that borrows nicely from the original while adding a few touches that feel just right. No incomprehensible final act here, just satisfying storytelling.

However, what really makes the film a winner, in my opinion, is its masterful use of atmosphere. The sense of the balmy, lazy, sun- and rain-drenched Japanese summertime is beautifully conveyed and pervades every scene, helped along by Corbel's warm and wistful Celtic-styled soundtrack and gentle vocals, but just as memorable and far more unique is the sense of sheer scale.

Since the beginning of filmmaking, plenty of movies have tackled the special effects challenge of portraying tiny people in a human-sized world, but although they've integrated their miniature stars more and more skillfully into their surroundings, few have given such a sense of the sheer size of those surroundings from the heroes' vantage. There's no such disconnect here, and Ghibli uses the versatility of animation to their full advantage. The view as Arrietty peers over the edge of a kitchen cabinet is dizzying. Scenes of climbing inside the hollow wall joists feel as hazardous as a documentary on spelunking. Coming in from the rain, Arrietty impatiently brushes clinging water droplets as big as her hands from her hair and clothes. The rustling of Sho's clothing as he stands or sits is like the unfurling of a schooner's sail in the wind, and speaking human voices (although not pitched down to the uncomfortable point that full realism might require) are sometimes underscored with an unsettling rumble. I left the film with a heightened awareness of my own vast(?) size, scanning around me for spots where a Borrower might hide in the theater lobby or creep out to fetch stray popcorn kernels.

Inhabiting this gorgeous world are plenty of charming characters: brave and spirited Arrietty, who shinnies up curtains like a monkey and draws her borrowed pin to stare down danger with a sound like Errol Flynn unsheathing a blade; her hard-working and stoically affectionate father, Pod, and fretful but loving mother, Homily; the young human Sho who longs for a friend as he ponders the possibility of his own extinction as well as the Borrowers'; his gentle-spirited aunt and their grubby-fingered housekeeper, who both have their own reasons to wish to see a "tiny person"; and an unexpected visitor who brings startling news to Arrietty's family.

Fans of the book series will be delighted with the film's respectful and vivid adaptation of Norton's work--I know I was. (Without spoiling too much that hasn't been shown in the trailers, I have three words for those in the know: Spiller. Stream. Teapot.) And those unfamiliar with the material will find plenty to love in this version. It's hard to believe that this confident, solid work is the first film of a freshman director.

For the first time in several years, I feel real confidence in the ability of Studio Ghibli to live strongly beyond its celebrated founders' legacies. Here's hoping this little film is a huge success, as it so richly deserves to be.

A great film. I agree mostly with the 10/10 reviews above. Excellent artwork, great attention to the details of the lives of 'The borrowers' and their habitat. The music by Cécile Corbel was great, especially in a Japanese theatre where they bother to do decent sound calibration and have great dynamic range (unlike the UK); I did at points feel like it had been inserted rather forcefully and that integration with the general BGM could have been smoother.

As a side note I have read a lot of complaints about Cécile Corbel's music for this film saying that the Japanese accent is terrible and it's not traditional but would like to point out that just because someone may enjoy traditional Japanese culture doesn't mean that modern Japanese culture does not appreciate foreign talent and that foreign culture plays a huge role in the modern Japanese lifestyle.

I would not down-rate this film on sound alone, though feel it falls short of a 10/10 in the way that the story played out. The ending to the film attempts to be highly emotional, which I would expect, but for the wrong reasons. It implies a serious bonding of spirits between Sho and Arietti which wasn't allowed to develop during the film and so rather than the bitter-sweet feeling described in a previous review, it ended rather bitterly with Sho essentially being abandoned rather hastily with a clear emphasis on the potential relationship between Arietti and Spiller. All this resulted in the feeling of a shallow story with no discernible morals behind it, which far be it from a happy ending, in the original story morals were present; giving the story a reason why it was worth telling.

So I'm giving this film an 8, it's a visual and aural masterpiece, but the 'borrowing' of the story, with no attempt to correctly adopt it for film and no show of a true understanding of its meaning leaves me content that I've seen a very impressive artistic demo.

"The Borrower Arriety/ The Secret World of Arrietty" is such a beautiful movie, filled with magic and wonder.

Even when this movie wasn't directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it has all the wonderful qualities present in the movies from that filmmaker, such as the splendid animation (Having special detail on the sceneries, which are a incredible form of art) interesting characters and charming story, filled with many sweet and tender scenes that aren't corny or forced.

"The Secret World of Arrietty" is a nice anime film for the whole family, and it could be compared to other masterpieces from the Studio Ghibli, such as "Whisper of the Heart" and "My Neighbor Totoro". It is immensely enjoyable from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

In this take on the well known story about "The Borrowers" studio ghibli falls seriously flat. The movie "The Secret World Of Arrietty" is about a boy who comes across a family of four inch people. But that's all that happens. The movie just seems slow as this boy tries to get the youngest of these mini-people, a girl by the name of Arrietty, to trust and talk to him. Half of the movie goes by and nothing of importance happens as you follow Arrietty through the large house as she steals things of no importance to the average sized people, such as pins or sugar cubes.

When the boy and girl finally form a friendship its too late as the mini-people are moving away for their own survival. The boy is sad and so is Arrietty but eventually they will get over it. This film lacks all of the wonder, excitement and uncertainty of the other Hayao Miyazaki films. The characters are cute but you don't feel any attachment to them, even after the boy reveals to you that he might die of a heart condition. I think that this is so because no real problem arises, you don't know what to root for. The characters just about go through their daily lives without incident and you feel empty and unaccomplished after you've finished the movie. You sit their thinking "What did I just watch?" Pretty colors on the screen mostly.

This movie is good for small children who will go about the house afterwords looking for little people, but for adults it just doesn't seem to cut it. I give it a 4 for storyline and an extra point for beautiful animation, but not much else. 5/10

That's how you could define Miyazaki heroines and Arrietty is undoubtedly one of them : I haven't read the original books but find her a very clear continuation to characters like Nausicäa, Kiki or Fio. Another reviewer commented that the ending is perhaps a bit more bittersweet than most Miyazaki's works and I completely agree, the familiar coming-of-age theme is definitely tinged in equal parts with both sadness and hope. The musical score was a wonderful surprise and a nice change : Cécile Corbel has done an absolutely splendid job (I have even bought the soundtrack, which I can't recommend enough) that always suited and complemented the scenes perfectly. Overall, even though it is true that a more complex story and a bit more characterization (especially for Sho) would have been nice, I immensely enjoyed this movie and hope it gets all the success it deserves !

As another user from Japan, who was able to see the movie, I have a few fair things to say.

The movie in general was excellent. For those concerned parents out there, this movie is fully suitable for children.

The beginning has beautiful music, but like some Gibli films, the into is kind of long. It is implied/mentioned in the Beginning the the boy, Sho, is suffering from some kind of Heart problem, and that he is resting at his Grandparents house before he goes into surgery to hopefully correct the problem.

Although, a beautiful movie, is it also kind of a sad one too. Aside from Sho having a Heart problem, you have the little family trying to survive on what they can find from the house.

Within the first scene or two, Sho makes contact with Arretty, telling her he knows who she is, and that she should not be scared of him, and that he means no harm. At first Arrietty is scared of the boy, and is hesitant to talk back to him, but through the kind gestures he makes, and the fact that he saved her life from a crow, she begins to trust him. Throughout the movie, the relationship between them both builds up.

Towards the ending, Sho's Grandmothers maid (I think she is a maid, possibly a friend), suspects something is happening with Sho and these "Little People" that she recalls his mother talking about ages ago. As a result, she takes things into her own hands to try to find these people. Eventually she finds Arrietty's mother under the floorboard. As a result she takes her and locks her up in a jar. it is at this point the movie can get a bit sad.

In light of this, Arrietty goes to Sho to ask for help, discovering he's been locked in his room by the maid, he climbs out the window from his second floor room to get downstairs. After searching in the shelves and cupboards, he takes Arrietty to the Pantry where she finds, and is reunited with her mother.

As a result of this, the family is forced to leave their home and find a new place to live. In the final scene, just before they are about to leave, Arrietty sends Sho's cat to him, to bring him to her. In the early morning hours, Sho runs through the back yard/garden, where he finally reaches Arrietty. As they say their final good byes, Sho thanks her, and tells her that because of her, he feels better about going into surgery.

Overall. I give this movie a 10/10

Having just watched the Japanese blu-ray, I can state unequivocally that Arrietty is one of the most beautifully rendered animated films ever released. Truly stunning work from Ghibli. Unfortunately it lacks the emotional resonance and lovable characters that have defined the studio's best work. Arrietty is the only developed character. The father is a stock, matter-of-fact disciplinary caricature, Sho an adoring but bland good guy, etc. You would expect more from Miyazaki, who wrote the screenplay. As usual for Miyazaki, there are no real bad guys, (MILD SPOILER) but the villain's motivation for trying to catch/kill? the Borrowers isn't explored enough and her actions seem out of place. Hiromasa Yonebayashi also lacks Miyazaki's knack for creating suspense, though he does fare better in some of the more tender moments, especially towards the end. This is still better than about 90% of all animation released in the United States, but from a Studio that brought us Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, etc. it is a comparatively minor work.

Trailers can be so deceptive sometimes. For the ones who had no idea of an original novel to "Arrietty" the disappointment of not seeing as much of the garden environment and "life under the leaves" as the trailer suggested this movie might turn out only half the entertaining ride.

I made the mistake of not informing myself about the plot beforehand and watched the movie expecting some 90 minutes of beautiful landscape/garden imagery coupled with the usual brilliant Ghibli narration and plot.

To make things easier I'll split up the review on the respective movie parts:

Scenery/pictures: Well-animated as usual, the Ghibli trademarks, i.e. nose forms, faces, glowing eyes of animals, etc. are well-known friends from former Ghibli movies which appear again in Arrietty, giving a feeling of comfort for the audience familiar with Ghibli movies. Yet it lacks a bit of fresh ideas and we too rarely see deeper than the outside cover of the garden which in return could've held so much more to explore...

Characters: Unfortunately the characters all remain shallow, you get into a little with Arrietty and Sho, but that's about it. Arriety's father is a one-dimensional, quiet man, whose only trait seems to be his physical strength. Arriety's mother is a hysterical woman. Wasn't sure at all if I should like her or if she was getting on my nerves. All four, the father, mother, Arrietty and Sho are created rather stereotypically, while only the house maid of Sho's grandma brings up a little spark in her persistent pursuit of getting rid of the "little people"...

Japanese Voice-overs: Ryûnosuke Kamiki who did the V-O for Sho sounded just like Kenji Mizuhashi from "5 Centimeters Per Second", which was a big disadvantage in my humble opinion since it kinda takes away the "Arrietty's" spirit of "fresh blood" movie-wise. None of the other jap. VO's are worth being mentioned, except for the house maid, who not only is animated and put in her role well and whose voice over does a good enough job to get connected with the character, disregarding its obvious malignancy...

Plot: The plot is, as mentioned in other reviews already, very simple, very basic and not as exploitative as known and so appreciated from other Ghibli movies. Nevertheless Norton and Miyazaki achieved to create a narrative environment that probably was intended to put the focus much more on the pictures this time, the in-house pictures that is, than on plot. Which in its fundamental idea works out OK and shows sparks of Ghibli brilliancy.

Music/Soundtrack: The music utterly disappointed me, since it did not have anything of the creativity of earlier Ghibli movies and overall sounded more like Japanese voice meshed with pop. The title track may stand out, bringing along a bit of a unique and creative work of music, yet it does not carry at all.

"Arrietty" is just too short to give a better impression of the hard life of the Borrower's and their constant struggle with the huge difference in dimensions of their environment. Another half an hour would not have hurt, simply to enhance the impression of the pictures.

Not the best Ghibli movie out there but worth a watch still, "Arrietty" may disappoint the hardcore Ghibli fans, yet enthrall new ones to explore the Ghibli universe a bit more!

Some might call this review over-thorough and off of the point of simply wanting to give an impression of the difference between the Borrower's and the human world, but I think with Ghibli having such an excellent reputation one is allowed to expect more...

Enjoy the movie!

(Not sure what constitutes a "spoiler." I don't give away much detail here but I guess any review is a bit of a spoiler on some level.)

Had a couple hours to kill after "The Descendants," so we slipped in to see "The Secret World of Arrietty." The trailers boasted its from the makers of "Howls Moving Castle," one of my all-time faves. Instead of that magical film experience, I would dub "Arrietty" to be "Extremely Close and Incredibly Disappointing." After a promising start this one flies off the rails. Mis-cast, mis- directed or just poorly acted voice work from Will Arnett and Moises Arias combined with poor writing ("Me Spiller. Me Hungry") and melodramatic score made the film increasingly tedious. I caught at least one huge continuity error (see girl standing next to flower and not talking to boy, cut to boy talking, cut back to girl, minus flower and note.) Why was the maid so evil and angry? Needed it for plot, is all I can guess. THE WORST was the end. Or what the filmmakers made of the end. They just made it end at the point which should have been the climax of the film. Not in an artsy, make-you-think ending but I DON"T KNOW WHAT. The studio said it was too long? Skip this one. "C-"