The latest offering from Studio Ghibli- the Japanese film studio headed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and famous for films such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo – is yet another charming, magical and moving feature for the whole family. Studio Ghibli films are the perfect antidote to the overly slapstick, often tedious, and 3D-even-though-there’s-no-real-reason-they-should-be kid’s films that Hollywood seems wont to churn out, and Arrietty is no exception.
Based on Mary Norton’s children’s novel The Borrowers, although Arrietty is set in modern Tokyo, the film follows a family of little people, who steal odds and ends from the human beings (or, as the borrowers call them, “human beans”) above their heads. The human’s floorboards, provide the borrower’s roof. Arrietty (voiced by Mirai Shida in the Japanese version, and Saorise Ronan in the dubbed release) is a young borrower who has just been allowed on her first mission. However, on her expedition she is spotted by 12-year-old Sho (Ryunosuke Kamiki, or Tom Holland in the dubbed release) who has recently moved into the mansion with his aunt. Sho, who is unable to play with other children because of his poor health and heart condition, strikes up a friendship with the tiny girl, taking the time to win her trust.
This story of friendship and family is truly touching, but where the film really shines is in its enchanting style of animation. While not nearly as visually realistic as some recent CGI efforts, the characters still feel more real, as they are drawn with such warmth and humour. The world of the borrowers is brought to life in intricate detail. From the garden outside the mansion, which Arrietty likes to frequent, filled with oversized and luscious blooms; to the ladder of loose nails, smaller than a human finger, which the borrowers traverse to sneak into the human’s house; to Arrietty’s bedroom, stuffed full with knick-knacks and prizes, much like the room of any teenage girl – every scene is a visual splendour. Arrietty has an old-school, painterly charm.
Directed by Yonebayashi Hiroma, the youngest of Miyazaki’s protégés, the film displays great maturity, but still with an understanding of the vulnerability and loneliness that children can experience. If you have a young person in your life, make sure you take them to see this film; Arrietty has more style and substance than the majority of children’s films out there. It’s a film about little people, but it has a lot of heart.
Arrietty is released in Australia on January 12th
Director: Yonebayashi Hiroma
