![]() In Ghibli movies, children and teens are allowed to be sad, despondent, worried, afraid, and burdened - it's not a sugar-coated world. But even more substantial is how the movie straightforwardly presents the plight of a boy who's often left alone and is lonely, and of a girl who doesn't get to interact with others like herself. On the surface is the wonder of a teen discovering a miniature counterpart who lives in a world much like his own, only within the walls and under the floorboards of his house. The beauty of Studio Ghibli movies is that they have such depth and heart, and this film is a perfect example. There is a fairly slow part in the middle that would make a good bathroom break, but if your child is old enough to grasp the ramifications of all that is going on in the film, it is actually a fairly gripping tale with some scenes of suspense. The film is really targeted at children who are able to fully grasp the bittersweet nature of that type of dramatic situation. The main relationship in the film reminded me a lot of the "impossible" friendship between ET and Elliott (ET), and Wilbur and Charlotte (Charlotte's Web). The preschool set, however, is not the target audience for this film. There are some moments in which characters appear to be in life-threatening peril, and my son would not have handled those scenes very well at all. The film is very gentle and contains very little that will bother any child who has made it through "Toy Story." I ended up deciding the film was not appropriate for my very sensitive 4 year old. ![]() This one roughly follows the story of "The Borrowers." The film does an amazing job of illustrating the way a house looks to a 5 inch person. I loved "The Littles" as a child and am thrilled to see a high quality animated film made that captures the spirit of that genre of story. The designs are ace, and the world of the borrowers and the human beans merge beautifully.I am a huge fan of the "little people" genre. Being Ghibli we get a lovely little cat character, Niya. Her heart is in the right place, but she doesn't get into a ridiculous amount of trouble. Arriety is adventurous, but never annoying. Ghibli have taken everything great about the story, and toned down the designs and motives, making this a realistic and engaging fantasy. I'd already seen the excellent TV Mini-series and the over-the-top American film with Goodman. I was very familiar with The Borrowers, and was a bit disappointed I was getting something original from Ghibli. First time director Yonebayashi shows that Ghibli has much more life and talent to give. ![]() The quiet nature of Arriety is so relaxing, with gorgeous music from Cecile Corbel. What Ghibli understand, more than anyone, is that kids don't need bright/crass/non stop films. A shot lingers just long enough for a ladybird to take flight, or the mother to stir her tea after a conversation. Luckily for us, the details are all present. Subtle moments of life and nature, that the animators could have saved time and money by not including them. There are moments here that you wouldn't even get in a live action movie. Arriety is the exact cure needed for such loud and obnoxious 3D CGI movies that come out every other week. I'm glad since I loathed the last Ghibli film I saw (Pom Poko). I saw it just days after going to the Ghibli Museum in Japan, and it was breathtaking.
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