the secret world of arrietty

I’ve always been fascinated by the things that may or may not be happening in places I can’t fit (let the fat and sex jokes fly). Ever since I saw the mice in CINDERELLA maneuvering behind the walls and beneath the floorboards I wanted to small for a day. I wanted to be like the young King Arthur in THE SWORD IN THE STONE and swim in a moat with Merlin. I think it’s safe to say that if I had been young today and if my parents took me to the theater to see THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY I would have never recovered. I would have tried desperately to invent some kind of elixir to make me shrink for a day. This new animated gem is pure immersion, a film that relishes each colorful detail while the story slowly steals you away. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

I’m sure you already know that this is the latest American release of a Studio Ghibli picture. Of course that studio is mostly on the map because of its co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, the adored director of SPIRITED AWAY and my personal fave PRINCESS MONONOKE. I’m a fan but not to the point of blind love and so I feel that I went into this movie with a fairly open mind. I’m sure you also know that this film is based on Mary Norton’s 1950’s children’s series books called THE BORROWERS. The source material is ripe with modern lessons to learn and it seems that the good people over at Studio Ghibli know how to make these lessons apparent without spoon feeding their young audience members.

The Clocks live lightly off the land and home surrounding them. They only take what won’t be missed, gleaning sugar cubes and pin needles. While staying hidden these tiny people live in harmony with their larger neighbors, the respect here is a fearful one. Survival is survival especially when you have a family to feed and shelter. Perhaps this is why the borrowers take only what they need and leave excess to the crows. It’s a good lesson to learn, especially in these greedy days we live in. For all of the surrealist/sci-fi/fantasy elements from Ghibli films of the past this one remains refreshingly simple and direct. It’s a film about friendship, protection, and compassion. Like most Pixar films, this studio could give two hoots about the hip cynicism of most modern animated films and seems to hold pop culture at a nice distance.

The story on its own would be just fine but with the added attention to detail and the very human element of hand drawn animation I think it might actually warrant the word masterpiece. This is one of the most beautiful looking films I’ve seen in a very long time. My favorite scene was the one where Arrietty embarks on her first borrowing. Without spoiling it I will simply say that it’s endlessly inventive and almost always popping right off the screen. You’ll just have to see for yourself. The year is young and many great films undoubtedly lie ahead but it’ll be hard to top this one.