BeSummers
Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
sol-
Studio Ghibli place their own unique spin on Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers' in this animated big screen adaptation. Norton's tale of tiny human beings who live beneath the floorboards and "borrow" various items (explaining how little things always seem to disappear forever) may be quite well known, however, the Ghibli team still manage to achieve a sense of awe and wonderment with the way their minute female protagonist copes in the gigantic world around her wherein bugs are as large as pets (and make good bouncy balls!) and sugar cubes are as large as backpacks. There is also a lot to like in the non-romantic friendship and camaraderie that develops between Arrietty and a seriously ill boy she finds living in her house. What does not quite work so well is the way the film turns the boy's caregiver/housekeeper into an evil antagonist. There is almost something darkly comical with the way she tries to hire pest exterminators to get rid of the borrowers, but we never quite discover why she despises them so much - - and then she changes her mind and decides that she would rather capture them and store them in jars instead (again, it is not clear why). Shaky as the antagonist's motives may be, they admittedly lead to some exciting moments, as Arrietty and the boy have to elude her, as well as funny moments, as she keeps failing to convince the boy's grandmother that borrowers really do exist. The film also looks great as per Ghibli par, with the interiors of the borrowers' house a particular wonder, especially with buttons and odd bits and ends used for wall decorations.
allyball-63124
Okay, let me get this out of the way right now. This is NOT a kids movie. Well, let me rephrase that: It's not aimed at kids but kids can watch it. This movie is much more about atmosphere and tender character moments. It's story on the other hand, sort of moves and meanders without too much focus. However, unlike movies other movies that took forever to get started, I didn't mind it because the characters were just that endearing. However, I can see the slow pace and more quiet atmosphere being a huge problem for many kids. If I were to recommend this, I'd say that older kids (Maybe around 11 or 12) and adults would enjoy and appreciate this movie.
Steven StetsonMan
This is my first review for IMDb and I chose this animated movie because lately I've watched many animated movies with incredible life-like CGI, and this one took me back to my childhood anime cartoons. This movie was a heart warming and artistically marvellous film for both young and old. Who hasn't dreamt as a child of having little people as friends? This story maybe struck closer to home for me because like Shô, the young boy who came to the house where his mother grew up, I too had a heart condition that needed open heart surgery.This leads me to Ariette Clock and her family, who lived under an old house and borrowed what they needed from the humans who lived within it. The story and the details in the film are spectacular, and the direction and animators took the effort to create a backdrop of a world within a world, a house within a house. The little house where Ariette lived with her parents is full of detail. The little passage-ways and secret doors and openings to the big house were ingenious and the use of materials like fish-hooks, even large nails as a safe bridge of sorts, from the rats below were the kind of artistic details that made this film stand out for me. These are the kind of details that both adults and young one would appreciate.The pacing of the story is perfect - the director does not rush things, he allows us to get absorbed by the characters, and apart from Spiller, who, for me, could have been included more in the film. We are given the chance of getting to know the characters and to care for them. The details are just right - we are told how the Little People use the items they "borrow", but we are then left to see how they are used. The Little People are ingenious and industrious. We are given a glimpse of how dad knows electricity as he works in his workshop - not too much detail, just enough to show us that the guy could be an engineer. The parents are good parents for Ariette and while being understanding of her need for adventure and consequences of having met the boy in the house, he does not get angry and surprisingly, neither does her mother. On the other hand, it gives us an insight to their own little culture - they are semi-nomads - they will stay in one place unless they are seen by the humans, in which case, they either move or risk getting caught or worse! It is like they knew their place in this big world - unlike us humans, who change things and have destroyed whole environments and species - and interestingly, this is one of the themes that comes up between Ariette and Shô, when Shô talks about how the Little People may be a dying species and Ariette, while arguing that there are others out there (and maybe this is Spiller's role in the film - that they are not alone), it is Humans and in this case, the boy's actions that results in Ariette and her family's displacement. I liked the environmental theme - and it is placed in there in the right dose, within a conversation that makes very good parallels.The difference between the actions of the boy and those of Haru are very well placed - it is the difference between what a child could do and that of an adult - who wants to catch them (and do what?) – and his auntie… It is an interesting juxtaposition of different mentalities which makes the audience wonder, "which one would I be?" I suppose that the child in us would say, the auntie, but what would we do if we really found Little People in the house?The cat too is an interesting character - starting off as one of the scariest animals and danger for Ariette and how it takes Shô to Ariette so they can say good- bye.Finally, the way Ariette struggles with her sense of adventure, her budding friendship with the boy who she shouldn't befriend because of all the consequences that friendship could lead to and the knowledge of those consequences, which makes her decide not to keep it a secret from her father and later from her mother are important lessons for growing children, and yes, maybe even for adults too! If they left, she will not see her new friend any longer, a tragedy in itself. These emotions are brought to us very vividly and not through words but through Ariette's actions and expressions, which I really appreciated, because the director was mindful of his audience, even the older ones! For the younger ones in the audience, the father figure explains the consequences to Ariette's actions and what could happen to them very well, not by being angry with her but by telling her the stories of others who had also lived in the house in the past.The story finishes in a bitter-sweat tone - saying good-bye to Shô and the new adventure of finding a new home for themselves, with their experienced but wise young guide, Spiller, however daunting it might feel, gives us a sense of hope on both counts. We do realise that Spiller is wise after all because he realises that the young human is not a threat to Ariette and does not fire his arrow. Shô says that he will never forget Ariette and will be in his heart forever. When Spiller offered Ariette the berry and she accepts his facial expression was reminiscent of the anime cartoons I watched as a kid! Those little details leave us with a feeling of hope both for the family and also for the future survival of their species! This movie is a must see for both young and old!
