The Secret World of Arrietty

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening in theatres this Friday from director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Disney comes the tale that has captivated readers for years and now comes to film with the animated “The Secret World of Arrietty”.

This film tells the story of the Clock family; they are four inches tall and live a quiet life under the floorboards of the house. Also known as Borrowers, they only go into homes to get the things they need to survive.

That is until Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler) takes her first night out. Along with her father Pod (Wil Arnett), they go to look for sugar and tissue for her mother Homily (Amy Poehler). It doesn’t take long before Arrietty is seen by the boy Shawn (David Henrie).

Shawn is a sick young man and is excited that the little people his mother told him about are real! But the housekeeper Hara (Carol Burnett) decides it is up to her to rid the house of the little people. But Shawn likes his new friend and would do anything to help Arrietty and her family!

FINAL WORD: Mendler is adorable as Arrietty. She is such a lighthearted little girl who wants to see the world and everything in it. Knowing she shouldn’t be around the bigger people, there is a relationship with Shawn that is quite lovely.

Henrie as Shawn really reaches out to Arrietty for friendship in a situation where there is no one else for him. Her friendship means too much to him that he is willing to not only try to make their life better, but do anything to keep anyone from hurting them.

Arnett and Poehler as the parents was an interesting choice. Arnett was the quiet parent, the father who will do what is necessary to take care of his family’s needs. Poehler is the slightly crazy mother who sees the sky as falling constantly and does so in a funny way.

Burnett as Hara is an interesting choice. It is clear to anyone who knows who Burnett is that it’s her voice but after a while all the viewer hears is the character of Hara. Not easy to pull off but Burnett does easily.

This is the directorial debut of director and animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi. He is a 36-year-old director and the youngest to ever make a film with Studio Ghibli in Japan. Also, the story takes place in the Western Tokyo neighborhood of Koganei, which is where Studio Ghibli can be found.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give “The Secret World of Arrietty” three tubs of popcorn out of five. The children absolutely loved the story and the characters. Parents who are fond of Japanese animation will thoroughly enjoy the show.

It is a story of genuine friendship filled with color and a tale that teaches children to stand up for what they know is right. This very charming and delightful Japanese film is absolutely a family film.

In the end – do not be seen by humans, that’s been the law of the people under the floor!