"Why is it that whenever your father is late I always think he was eaten by the cat."
I must say that I am a pretty bug fan of Studio Ghibli films. I was never a fan of Anime and still am not, but I love these movies. I usually follow the Miyazaki films, but all of them are good. We saw the preview for this film last summer and began counting down the days. So tonight I grabbed my two boys some popcorn and settled in.
The Secret of Arriety is based off the children's book The Borrowers. It is about a family of tiny, tiny people who live below a house. They live off the little things that full size people (beings)wouldn't notice: a cube of sugar, a pin a button here or there. They do all they can to be invisible. One day a boy, Shawn, come to stay at the house and sees Arriety on her first "borrowing."
The rest of the movie is them trying to keep away from the nosey maid and the big cat. The friendship between Shawn and Arriety grow. He does all he can to help the family and keep them safe from all the harms that would befall little people.
The colors in the film are on par with other Ghibli films. They are bright and full. The story is simple compared to the other Ghibli films I've seen like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and such. I guess that is since it is based on a book not an original story. This is a great movie to show your daughters. Like most of the Ghibli films it has a strong female lead. I admire that about these films. Disney, who is the US distributor, is catching on to that spirit thanks to the friendship of John Lassater and Mr. Miyazaki. You will see it in this summers "Brave" by Pixar. I can't wait for my daughter to be old enough so I can share treasures like this with her.
8.65 out of 10
Right on! I've been wanting to take the kids to this. Glad to know its as good as the other gibli films. Thanks for the review!
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