Arrietty (2011)

Arrietty is the latest film from Studio Ghibli, the studio behind the magnificent Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Arietty is based on the Borrowers which was a novel by Mary Norton and was turned into a film in 1997 starring John Goodman. However Hayao Miyazaki (Eastern animations Disney) sticks more closely to the novel, focusing on the three members of the clock family and the young boy who is dying of a heart condition.

Arrietty is stunningly beautiful and follows the story of family of 3 little people who live under the floorboards of a mansion just outside Tokyo. Mark Strong plays the voice of the father (Will Arnett is the voice for the US version) who is very strong minded and his only concern is the survival of his family. We also have Olivia Coleman who voices the mother. She is constantly on edge and worries deeply about her daughter Arrietty who is voiced by Saoirse Ronan. Arietty is very confident and practical for a 14 year old. She's constantly excited by her surroundings and yearns to go out and 'borrow' with her father.The little people are also know as The Borrowers as they occasionally venture into the human house and borrow (steal) from the homes occupiers, namely sugar and tissues.

Sho is the young human boy who is voiced by Tom Holland. Sho is staying with his aunt for a week as he awaits to have a heart operation that will hopefully save his life. Because of this, Sho has spent most of his life away from other children, but gains a special bond when he finally meets Arrietty. He does his best to try and help the family but it doesn't always go to plan.

Arrietty is yet another visually rich and detailed experience. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (the youngest person to direct a Ghibli film at 37) has done a great job in learning from the master that is Miyazaki and has delivered a film that will delight people of all ages. The sense of scale between the borrowers and the human world has been greatly realised through perfect visual and sound design. A perfect example would be when a crow crashes through a house window as it tries to attack Arrietty. This scene shows off perfectly the scale that the borrowers live on. The regular themes from most animation films are here, including friendship, family and trust. It's a shame that the western world hasn't fully grasped the enjoyment of a Studio Ghibli film with only Spirited Away been the possible exception that has broke through and was thoroughly enjoyed and rightly awarded an academy award. Hopefully Arrietty will achieve a similar kind of success after breaking records like being watched by 7.5 million people in Japan.

Arrietty is a beautifully hand drawn film that is both visually stunning and a wonderfully told story. Quite possibly the best animated film you'll see this year.