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Friday 29 July 2011

Film - Arrietty - directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi


Star rating – 8/10

Arrietty from Studio Ghibli is another superb example of a beautifully animated film for children and accompanying adults alike to really enjoy. Who needs 3D monstrosities when you can get the same effect without the feeling of your senses being assaulted and generally being jumped out on? Certainly not me.

This is a lovely gentle story, which is adapted from the enchanting Borrowers books of Mary Norton, but here transported to Japan. Arrietty is part of a family of Borrowers – little people who take small things from the houses of human, but only things that they will not miss. She defies her parents’ strict instructions and, at first accidentally, lets herself be seen by a human, and then strikes up a beautiful friendship with the sick little boy who sees her in the garden of his home. And the results for her family are monumental.

The drawing is to die for; the garden is a delight; and the friendships are tender and affecting. The story is updated to give a powerful message about our planet, and the necessity to recycle and respect it, or face extinction. I loved this film, just as I loved the original books as a child. Another great animated offering from Ghibli.

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