Arrietty [G]

Underneath the floorboards of a countryside mansion, 14-year-old Arrietty lives with her family of little people or “borrowers”. Getting by on what they borrow from the human tenants of the house, Arrietty and her parents live lives of hiding and caution. But, one day Arrietty is seen by 12-year-old Sho, the sick grandchild of the house’s owner, and as the two begin to confide in one another, a lovely friendship blooms. 

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and screen-written and planned by Hayao Miyazaki, Arrietty is a lovely little anime movie, but one that was too subdued for my liking. For me, what makes these Studio Ghibli movies special are the poignant stories of love and friendship and the fantasy creations that grace the screens. Unfortunately, Arrietty just didn’t cut it for me: there is no fantasy element, there is no real danger or adventure, and the friendship that blooms between the two leads, Arrietty and Sho, could have been solidified a lot more to make it more beautiful and strong. I liked the movie, don’t get me wrong, but it was just too subtle and subdued for my liking and I felt that it could have been more. 

Underneath the floorboards of a countryside mansion, 14-year-old Arrietty lives with her family of little people or “borrowers”. Getting by on what they borrow from the human tenants of the house, Arrietty and her parents live lives of hiding and caution. But, one day Arrietty is seen by 12-year-old Sho, the sick grandchild of the house’s owner, and as the two begin to confide in one another, a lovely friendship blooms. 

The animation is beautiful, so that’s a pro: these Studio Ghibli movies are always visually stunning. I also have to commend the sound crew for their efforts: the sound design and editing in this movie was excellent with these amazing sounds of everyday things like rain and ticking clocks amplified and interpreted so that the audience hears them as the borrowers hear them. 

The soundtrack is also very beautiful: slow and earthy with acoustic and beautiful vocal solos. 

Featuring the voice talents of Tom Holland, Saoirse Ronin, Olivia Coleman, Luke Allan-Gale, and Mark Strong, Arrietty is a visually lovely little anime movie, based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton, but because everything in the story and screenplay were so subdued, it just didn’t have as much of an emotional pull as some of Studio Ghibli’s other films in its collection. Filled with beautiful animation, bravery, friendship, danger, adventure, and likeable characters, it’s a fine anime film, but I did feel that it lacked something.