Arrietty y el mundo de los diminutos

Studio Ghibli have been responsible for some of my favourite animated movies, especially Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, Castle in the Sky and My Neighbour Totoro. In fact I haven't seen a Ghibli I dislike, even their weakest Tales from Earthsea while problematic is worth a viewing. Arietty is not one of Ghibli's best, but that doesn't stop it from being a truly charming film. As with all Studio Ghibli's work, the visuals are stunning, with the colours especially having such an ethereal quality to them, and the music has a pleasant Celtic lilt making the movie even more beautiful than it already is. The script amused and touched me, and the storytelling doesn't rely on wisecracks and action(not that it's a bad thing as such) but instead it is subtle and gentle with a lot of charm and heart, letting us bond emotionally with the characters and their world. True, the ending is a little bittersweet, but considering the storytelling it worked I felt. The characters, especially Arietty, are likable and engaging, and the voice work is terrific, the standouts being Olivia Colman, Geraldine McEwan, Mark Strong and very talented child actress Saoirse Ronan. Overall, a very charming film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A "smaller-scale" Ghibli movie than what we're used to, but a good one. The Secret World of Arrietty is the story of a family of "borrowers" a tiny race of people who live within the homes of ordinary humans and who are supposed to stay hidden from them at all times. 

It's visually as beautiful as you'd expect from Ghibli, with even simple backgrounds looking as lovely as a painting. Instead of the fantastical lands of most Ghibli films like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, The Secret World of Arrietty is set in an ordinary home. But the simple beauty of everything and seeing the lovingly-drawn detail in everyday items from the view of smaller eyes makes this one of the more memorable Ghibli movies from a visual standpoint, in my opinion. 

As for the story, it's simple and effective, and deals with nothing more than the human occupants of a home, including a young boy with a heart condition, and the family of borrowers that also lives there unknown. Arrietty herself, the daughter of the family of tiny people, continues the tradition of fantastic female characters that comes from Studio Ghibli. 

This isn't an action-packed movie with a grand climax or anything like that, but I found it satisfying and pleasantly watchable. Arrietty left me with good feelings and avoided being heavy-handed with messages as some Ghibli movies can tend to do. I liked it a lot (better than Howl's Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea, if not quite as much as Ponyo), and I'll be happily seeing it again at the theater when it comes out in the U.S.

In a world engulfed by Kevin James comedies and ghastly and unnecessary reboots, the public is honoured with the animated Arrietty: a heavenly and gentle tale inspired by Mary Norton's novel 'The Borrowers'.

Arrietty Clock is a 14 year-old girl who lives with her family underneath a home inhabited by humans. The Clock family borrows items it needs to survive from the people living 'above' and love their beautiful, delicate home. However, when a young boy arrives (Shô) to stay with the human family, Arrietty is accidentally discovered by him. Due to fears of borrowers being seen and captured by human beings, the family fear for her safety. Shô finds himself fascinated by Arrietty and a bond builds between the pair, breaking the boundaries between human and borrower.

Arrietty is an intimate and emotional anime resembling the style of Spirited Away.

Arrietty is an intimate and emotional anime resembling the style of Spirited Away.

The film has currently been released in two languages: Japanese and English. The UK version has voice casting from Saoirse Ronan and Mark Strong, whilst the US version stars Will Arnett and Amy Poehler.

What Arreitty has is heart – it cares for its viewers and expresses this with irrevocable beauty. All viewers, young and old, will be unable to help being swept up in this animated treasure and taken aside by just how visually, narratively and emotionally stunning it is. Arrietty is the cinematic equivalent of whatever one believes to be the definition of 'beautiful'.

Hiromasa Yonebayashi's animation, aided by manga artist, film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki, swallows the screen in a sea of plush foliage, raindrops and climbing vine.

Every individual item is intrinsically detailed from a microscopic teapot to a leaf swaying in the wind. The artistic nature of Arrietty is a marvel of dedication and effort. This film is certainly the best animated film of 2011.

Furthermore, the film features rounded and wonderful characters, all of whom have an important role to play. Arrietty is a great role model for children, particularly young girls. She cares and wants to support her family, she's strong, hard-working, determined and she isn't prejudiced. She understands Shô and learns to enjoy his company. Regardless of the reality, the film's heroine provides plenty of positive energy and a great moral compass.

Arrietty is a love-letter to childhood enchantment, to that feeling of awe and magic and the belief in another.

Verdict: ●●●●● Sumptuous and marvellous storytelling aided by eye-watering beauty, Arrietty is simply sublime.

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Let me start off by saying that the film is not a masterpiece - the storyline, development, interactions and plot is rather dull, simplistic and boring - this is not a film to appease fans of complex dramas.

Why do I give this film an 8/10, then? The reason why, is because this is not a film intended to be thought-provoking or philosophical - this is a film about the existence of a world entirely parallel to ours, a view of our daily life from a different perspective. It's an adventure into the unknown, an insight into a culture so similar yet so mysteriously different. It is a typical Studio Ghibli piece in this regard, and that is a Good Thing.

The presentation of the film is brilliant and worked very well. The magnitude and immersion with which the Borrowers' forays into our daily lives is shown never ceased to impress me. The visuals, artwork, animation, sound and music played together perfectly.

Overall, the film is colorful, cheery and entertaining. If you watch it with high expectations you'll be disappointed, but you won't regret relaxing and enjoying it.

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You can't beat hand drawn animation. No matter how realistic your computer generated image is or how much the train conductor looks like Tom Hanks, you can't really compete with the beauty of Ghibli's animation. And that really comes across when seeing this new offering on the big screen. Along with some descent English dubbing and the humour that always accompanies tiny people with giant sugar cubes, Arrietty is the usual charming goodness from team Ghibli.

Arrietty is The Borrowers (in fact many cinemas are calling it just that) Tiny people live under the floorboards of a house where a young boy with a heart condition is gathering some much needed rest before his impending risky operation. They hide themselves from us humans waiting until night to sneak into our homes and 'Borrow' the things we wont miss, like sugar cubes and tissues. The majority of the fun in this film comes from watching the tiny borrowers clamber around the shelves using string to rappel off cupboards.

Olivia Colman (Peep Show, Hot Fuzz) Is brilliant as the panicky Mum of Arrietty constantly fretting about the humans and her daughter running off all the time. Geraldine McEwan (Miss Marple) is also great as Haru, she is a classic creepy Ghibli old lady and some of the noises she makes are making me laugh just now thinking of them.

It's easy for kids to follow and endlessly beautiful to watch. Not really surprising that they have done it again and thanks to Pixar dropping the ball (again) with Cars 2, Oscar this year please?

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