The Secret World of Arrietty, also known as Arrietty, is a 2010 Japanese animated fantasy film which was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and produced by the well-known Studio Ghibli. The film’s screenplay has been adapted by one of tThe Secret World of Arriettyhe most famous directors of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki as well as Keiko Niwa. This captivating narrative comes from the 1952 novel, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, and as the book, it tells the stories of little men hidden from the eyes of wider people. “The Secret World of Arrietty” enhances the traditional fantasy genre with exquisite hand-drawn animation, a sweet plot, and a rich soundtrack.
Synopsis
In The Secret World of Arrietty, the narrative centers around Arrietty, a 14-year-old girl, who was a member of the ‘Borrowers’, a family of little people that secretly resided inside the walls and floors of a human house. The Borrowers survive by making use of borrowed amounts of food, supplies, and other essentials resources that people would probably not notice being taken, such as sugar cubes or tissue. Still, Borrowers only take what s necessary that the Borrowers live in total fear of being found out because if ever Humans discover them they immediately have to abandon their home for their own safety.
Arrietty resides together with her father, Pod, and mother Homily in a lovely house under the floorboards of the old mansion. During such missions, Arrietty’s parents are careful and well-seasoned in eluding humans, but Arrietty is brave, passionate, and eager to see the outside world. He goes on his first borrowing expedition with his father and she learns the fine art of evading humans as they go into the human kitchen to get sugar and tissue papers. Unfortunately, a sickly person called Sho, a human boy who is recovering from a heart disease and has just moved to this house, spots Arrietty. Even though they are not in direct contact, such a short together would mark the beginning of a secret relationship, which they both will cherish forever.
It intrigues Sho to know that such little beings exist as his mother and grandmother tell him about them. After he sees Arriety, he wishes to leave some trinkets on her sight since he believes they can attract her attention. As much as Arrietty is apprehensive about Sho at the beginning, she is not fully hostile and eventually starts warming up to him and slowly, a shaky friendship blossoms. Among other things, Sho tells Arrietty about his heart problem as well as his worries over sitting under knife for a surgery and also the trouble of solitude because of his disease.
Arrietty as well describes her homeland to Sho by elaborating more deeply on the Borrowers, their permanent struggle with the fear of being discovered. Such narrations bring out how her family leads a very careful life and what being small in the big people’s world entails. With the deepening of their friendship, Sho decides to defend the Borrowers and keep them away from his family members especially the housekeeper, Haru. Haru is an odd yet inquisitive woman who has always believed in the existence of Baby Borrowers whom she is questing for. The very doubts she has make her perform a number of acts directed at catching them which pose a threat to Arrietty and her family’s security.
Haru comes to learn of the Borrowers’ house beneath the floor, and the family must consider whether to leave or stay. As the time passed, Sho feels the urge to go all the way and seeks to assist Arrietty and her family, even attempting to find an alternative safe location for them. The Borrowers opt to abandon their home in the end after they have sufficed it and they fear seeking residence near humans as it will only render them vulnerable. On their last encounter, Arrierity and Sho have a riveting last moment where he thanks her for her amicability, admitting that he draws strength from her. On the other hand, Arrierity and her family leave and Sho remembers her in hopes of her being safe and remarks on the bravery she has inculcated in him.
“World Of Arrietty” as well as their other works has a number of admirable characteristics, friendship enduring through adverse situations, as well as accepting one’s position in which they have been placed, being among the more notable. Loneliness, compassion, and the relationship that can be established between people who are different in many aspects but are also deeply connected can also be found in the picture.
Cast and Crew
Arrietty – The character of Arrietty was voiced by Mirai Shida in the Japanese version and by Bridgit Mendler in the English dubbed version. Arrietty is a headstrong and a daring girl who is in love with the word of humans. She is so intrigued with the existence of people and the world beyond her shelter that she often gets into risky yet calming experiences.
Sho/Shawn – The voice of Sho was given by Ryunosuke Kamiki in Japanese and David Henrie in English. Sho is a soft hearted and nice boy who is has a heart disease. Even with his frail health, he is able to make friends and develop a connection with Arrietty which is of a great importance for him.
Pod – The character of Pod was voiced by Tomokazu Miura in Japanese and by Will Arnett in English version. Pod is the father of Arrietty and he is a prudent and sensible Borrower who knows how to manipulate the way of living of the human beings without being noticed.
Homily – The character of Homily was voiced by Shinobu Otake in Japanese and Amy Poehler in English version. Homily is the mother of Arrietty and she cares for her daughter, but is extremely paranoid about the risks human beings are able to inflict on her children.
Haru – The character of Haru was voiced by Kirin Kiki in Japanese and Carol Burnett in English. Haru is the odd and adventurous housekeeper who has a feeling that there are Borrowers and is bent on finding them which puts Arrietty and her family in jeopardy.
The directorial work of Hiromasa Yonebayashi together with the screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa infuse the film with compassion, awe and gentle suspense. With special attention to detail, the visitors animate and direct their interactions in the world of Borrowers.
IMDb Ratings
According to the audience spent time in the cinema, “The Secret World of Arrietty” movie best earned IMDB rating of 7.6 out of 10 rated by their members. It is worth noting that the creators of the film were credited with the charming animation as well as the intricately designed and lush backgrounds of imaginary Borrowers. The critics also mentioned that the use of slow pace and subtle storytelling allowed them to concentrate on the world of the film and Arrietty and her family. The intense hyper sense of the film is further magnified by the warm and unique soundtrack of the film provided by Cécile Corbel.
The critics enjoyed the movie and noted its approach to various issues such as loneliness, fear, and pain and how it is worth watching for the young viewers as well as the adult audience. The fans of works by Studio Ghibli liked some themes that are often found in Miyazaki works: love of nature, importance of self-development, and sympathy for transitory companionships.
Although The Secret World of Arrietty did not reach the global success that other Ghibli productions like Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro, it is treasured as a masterpiece due to its beautiful narrative and artworks. A number of viewers have called the film’s gently paced, meditative tone exquisite, where Sho’s relationship with Arrietty is an endearing portrayal of friendship that is boundless and knows no barriers.
Analysis and Themes “The Secret World of Arrietty” is effective because of its subtle narration and the issues it deals with. Overall, the movie is a testament to the ideas of friendship, bravery and strength. It addresses the sad truth that some friends are only in your life for a season but leave an impact that lasts a lifetime. Sho’s sickness and solitude juxtaposes nicely with Arriety’s questing disposition and their tryst helps each of them know themselves in a quite better way. Further more, the film brings forth the issues of coexistence and human dominion over the environment stressing that mankind, like Borrowers, ought to respect nature and remain alongside it. Finally, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is an exquisite film that integrates great animation, great story and great ideas. It is among Studio Ghibli’s most calm and reflective pieces as it investigates the connections between people no matter how minimal or momentary.
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