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Originally published February 16, 2012 at 12:03 AM | Page modified February 17, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Movie review
'The Secret World of Arrietty': a borrowed and beautiful anime tale
A movie review of "The Secret World of Arrietty," a splendid anime version of "The Borrowers." Hayao Miyazaki ("Ponyo") co-wrote the screenplay and the English-dubbed vocal cast includes Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.
Special to The Seattle Times
STUDIO GHIBLI / AP
Bridgit Mendler has the big job of voicing the small title character in "The Secret World of Arrietty."
'The Secret World of Arrietty,' with the voices of Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (U.S. vocal cast directed by Gary Rydstrom), from a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa (English-language screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick), based on "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton. 95 minutes. Rated G. Several theaters.
MOVIE REVIEW
The brilliant anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has written and directed a number of dazzling stories about children uncovering hidden, fantastic worlds, including "My Neighbor Totoro," "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo."
Against backdrops ranging from pastoral to densely urban to wildly exotic, enchantment always meets frightful challenges in Miyazaki's stylish fables. Every inch of the screen fills with unexpected wonders from the master's imagination.
"The Secret World of Arrietty," a project pondered for four decades by Miyazaki, is a little different: It's borrowed, if you will.
A subdued yet frequently beautiful, contemporary adaptation of Mary Norton's 1953 novel "The Borrowers," this tale of 4-inch-tall people is coproduced and cowritten by Miyazaki and directed with strong feeling and stirring discovery by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a longtime animator at Miyazaki's famed Studio Ghibli.
Yonebayashi is faithful to the studio's signature look and feel, but the jewel-like colors and painterly splendor of his environments are distinctively personal and presented with disarming modesty. They're there, all right, but with a certain reserve, melting into the action.
The director's tone and pacing are also his own: pensive and suited to a tale of characters mulling individual fates even as they form forbidden relationships.
Loosely based on Norton's book, Disney's English-dubbed version of "Arrietty" stars Bridgit Mendler as the title character, a young girl from a miniature family of "Borrowers" secretly dwelling in a house of full-size humans. Among the latter is Shawn (David Henrie), a lonely boy with a potentially fatal heart ailment. Despite the warnings of Arrietty's parents (Amy Poehler and Will Arnett) — who know the dangers of being found out by humans — she strikes up a friendship with Shawn, who risks his health to protect them all.
Miyazaki and Yonebayashi's "Arrietty" is focused on the extraordinary found in the ordinary, i.e., the world as perceived through the senses and perspective of Borrowers.
When the first drops of a spring rain strike stone steps, the moment is both meditative (for us) and violent (as it would be for tiny people). A trail of black ants, working in unison to dismantle a sugar cube, becomes a surreal marvel as witnessed by Arrietty.
Certainly it makes sense for little pre-readers to take in a dubbed work of Japanese-language anime. But it's always a good idea for anyone to check out subtitled prints of Ghibli films.
I've been surprised more than once by very different perceptions one can have of the same characters in dubbed and subtitled takes of Miyazaki's films. Michael Keaton's world-weary, Bogart-esque voice for the title character in the 1992 "Porco Rosso," for example, was pretty obvious, while Shuichiro Moriyama's original, gruff-but-lovable performance was more suitably, playfully ironic.
We won't entirely know "Arrietty" until the full experience is available in a subtitled format. But until then, this Disney release is a gem.
Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@gmail.com
