Arrietty Review

• 9th Jan 2012

Another Studio Ghibli masterpiece, Arrietty is absolutely enchanting and another example of the high standard they have set for themselves.

The film is fairly faithful to the much loved children’s classic, written by Mary Norton. Arrietty is borrower, a minute species that lives by ‘borrowing’ everyday items that no one needs. She is seen by Sho, a young sick boy who’s been sent to live with his great aunt. His misguided attempts to help her and her family lead them to being discovered by more malevolent occupants of the house and their only recourse is to escape. This abruptly ends their fledging friendship.

This film will appeal to younger audiences, particularly because of its formulaic, traditional story. Older fans of Studio Ghibli may be disappointed waiting for something more extraordinary to happen.  This is a departure from the surrealism of Ponyo or Howl’s Moving Castle. For many, one of the key characteristics of Studio Ghibli’s work is the original and outlandish plot-line  By animating a well known book, they’ve created a film that is going to be enjoyed, but not one that is ground-breaking.

The smallest gripe would be the English dubbing, which is at odds with the character animation. The voice acting is stomps all over the delicacy of the animation and it feels like something is being lost in translation.

All that aside, the animation itself is absolutely luscious with a real focus on traditional matte paintings which bring the animation to life. The garden is teaming with life and vibrancy; they’ve created a world that you want to be a part of, particularly when the alternative is London in January. The colours are rich, as is the detail of Arrietty’s world. Her first journey to the main house is filled with interesting details on how the borrowers live, how they deal with insects and rats. If anything the film could have included more of this.

This is the first film from director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a studio Ghibli veteran who started as an in between artist and made his way to director at Studio Ghibli in thirteen years; quite an achievement. His attention to detail and key scenes, keep the film interesting and enjoyable. Less challenging than other Studio Ghibli fare, but still beautifully animated and well worth watching.

Maliha Basak