It’s a genre of film I’m unfamiliar with…a rarity for a film buff who’s watched hundreds thousands of films. Anime (aka Japanese animation), originated in the early 20th century and surprisingly, Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had some influence on Japanese animators and their work.
This Friday, February 17th, Walt Disney Pictures will release The Secret World of Arrietty, a Japanese animated fantasy film based on The Borrowers (Mary Norton) and originally released in Japan in 2010. While it’s always helpful to read the book which the film was based on, the story is easy to follow. In the film’s opening scene, a young boy named Shawn has just arrived at the home where his mother lived as a child, to spend some time resting before heart surgery. As he approaches the house, he spots Arrietty, a bold, curious 14 year old girl seeking adventure, who just happens to be 10 cm (4 inches) tall. Arrietty and her “little” family, live in the recesses of the home, and rarely venture out save the occasional covert mission to bring back items they need to survive. They’re borrowers…and they “take only what they need,” particularly items not likely to be missed by humans.
In one of the early scenes of the film, Arrietty and her father Pod, embark on the young teen’s first borrower mission to obtain a single cube of sugar and square of tissue. I absolutely loved the attention to detail and stark contrast between the size of Arrietty and her father and the human world in this particular venture, as she picks up a hairpin and stows it away as her first weapon. As Arrietty and Pod are completing the last of their mission, the young teen is spotted once again by Shawn, who’s suspicions about the “tiny people” living under the floorboards of human homes are confirmed. This scene holds much significance for the progression of the story, since the survival of these little people depends on remaining unseen. As you watch the film you’ll notice a quietness to it, which makes both tense and meaningful moments and scenes that much more profound.
While Arrietty is in many ways mature beyond her years, she is curious and naive about the outside world. She doesn’t quite grasp the seriousness of being discovered by humans and ventures out once again to visit Shawn. What ensues is an unlikely friendship that could prove to be dangerous for Arrietty and her family. When Pod and Homily (Arrietty’s mother) learn that she has been seen, they make the difficult decision to leave the home they’ve come to love.
The film is breathtakingly beautiful, with it’s hand-drawn animation and scenes straight out of a watercolor painting. The film is a visual masterpiece from the legendary Studio Ghibli, which produced and released Spirited Away and Ponyo. As I mentioned above, much attention to detail was placed on even the ordinary natural world elements. There is a scene where Shawn is lying down outside, deep in thought, and I was just taken aback by the beauty of the outside world with its vibrant colors and serenity and how infrequently I take time to stop and appreciate nature.
Unlike most animated films, filled with nonstop action, The Secret World of Arrietty intersperses quiet moments of introspection, moments that are powerful in terms of story progression. The filmmakers have also paid as much attention to compelling audiences to be immersed in nature audibly as they have visually. Not only do you see it raining…you hear it raining and you’re forced to, for a moment, focus on nature… The ordinary ticking of a clock, background noise we tend to ignore, is suddenly loud…almost deafening.
At the heart of the film is the story, simple, yet filled with so much meaning and depth. The friendship between Arrietty and Shawn is pure and innocent, crossing “cultural” barriers (in this instance the little people vs. the “beans”). It’s a film about growing up…about change. Arrietty is a powerful female lead and will likely be looked up to by young girls for her bravery, kindness, loyalty, and sense of adventure.
The Secret World of Arrietty opens in theaters February 17th, 2012.
No compensation was received for this post. I attended a screening and press junket for the film which helped facilitate this review.
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I loved this movie so much that we are going to see it again this weekend!
Can’t wait to see it!
Such a great role model, that little Arrietty 🙂
My daughter really wants to see this movie. Thanks for the review!
I was blown away by the sound of this movie. Everything seemed so profound, the sugar cube falling on the floor, the paper ripping. It was breathtaking!
FANTASTIC review Caryn! You really have a way with words.
Okay, now I’m really upset I missed the screening.
I’m going to see it for sure. I have only heard great things about this movie
I really wish I did not miss it! but this is a great review!!