Man, I just realized I have not reviewed a movie for a loooong time. So, here it is.
Title: The Secret World of Arrietty
Length: 95 minutes My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
I became a fan of Hayao Miyazaki's movies after I taking a course in college that discussed Japanese anime movies and its impact on society. So during the semester, we watched Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa and Grave of the Fireflies, just to name a few. What I found inspiring about these movies was the deep meaning behind each film. It questioned the role of women in society, how humans are impacting the environment and what consequences can happen from greed. That was what made his earlier films so powerful. However, Miyazaki's latest films leave me wondering what happen.
Based on Mary Norton's novel, "The Borrowers," Miyazaki recreate this well-known tale in "The Secret of Arrietty." Arrietty was a 16-year old Borrower, who lived under the floorboards, with her parents. What is a Borrower you asked? Have you notice that sometime, little things seem to disappear around the house? That was probably a Borrower "borrowing" your things. Arrietty was now of age, where she can officially start borrowing with her father. Unfortunately, she got caught by young "Bean", Sean, who was convalescing at his aunt's home before his heart surgery. Because of their chance encounter, Arrietty's family have to move but someone was out to get and expose them. With Sean's help, Arrietty was going to save their existence.
I don't know. I love the fact that Miyazaki's recent movies appeared to center around fairy tales. Which have their own important lessons to learn. However, I left this movie with an 'It's okay' feeling.
The animation was amazing as usual. The colors were vibrant and the lines were sharp and clean. The animation style was very signature of Miyazaki's movies. The scenery and attention to the little details would leave you awe inspired and gave you pause to the world around us. Things we normally don't give a second glance. Like the climbing ivy on the side of the house, crickets, and the inside workings inside of your home's walls.
I have read "The Borrowers" a couple of decades ago and I wasn't a huge fan of the animated series, so my exposure to the book series is very limited. So, I cannot tell how close it was to the actual novel, but from what I picked up from Wikipedia (I know), it seems that the book was pretty accurately portrayed. Now, the story itself was pretty simple and a little on the slow side. The movie felt a like a lazy day in the summer, where nothing but little things happen here and there. Not much action. A few funny moments here and there. And all the action occurred near the end. My favorite scenes were the ones with Arrietty, with her vibrant energy and her cute determination. And the fact that Arrietty was not afraid to face Sean, I admired her strength and courage. The friendship between Sean and Arrietty was super sweet and it was a shame that the friendship was what cause the problems near the end of the movie. The other characters in the movie were apt in their roles. The voice acting was decent. I did find Sean's voice a little too deep for my taste. However, I'm usual never happy with the dubs they do in America. In any case, I did learn something. What I learn from the movie that humans' curiosity and the need to be right are the things that isolates us from expanding and learning from different cultures.
Would I recommend this? Depends. We spent $9 a person at the theater. I would've been more happy if we caught the matinee and paid $6. That would have been worth it. However, that was that. So, seeing it in the movies was good enough for me. I would probably not buy the DVD. If you are a fan of Miyazaki's works, please go and see it. Don't raise your expectation too high though. It is a nice, clean movie. Perfect for the whole family. However, due to the lack of action, boys might find this story a little slow. But it was nice change of pace in a hectic world.
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