THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (Theatrical Release USA 2012)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.1|5.0 Stars ìììì

The Secret World of Arrietty—
Studio Ghibli film—contains no disappointment in animated entertainment value. Once again this studio produces a compassionate story interlaced with easy-to-follow action that gently takes the audience through its well-told story.  The script revolves around a boy named Shawn (voice of David Henrie) who has a serious heart condition and is sent to live in the country with his seasoned Aunt Jessica (voice Gracie Poletti). He spends most of his time in his room reading and sometimes ventures outdoors for play as he can. Shawn discovers that the house contains ‘borrowers,’ small people who live in the walls and under the floors of the house. Shawn tries to help them obtain the things they need to survive, but the housekeeper Hara (voice of Carol Burnett) wants to rid the house of the borrowers. The story builds sustainable tension as Shawn’s attempt to preserve the borrowers and Hara’s attempt to destroy them are finally resolved well. The only criticism for this film, and it is not a challenge with Studio Ghibli, but with this particular film, is the music seems out of sequence with the scenes, almost annoying.  Cécile Corbell didn’t seem to have the right music to fit this movie. Despite this small distraction, the film is a good family watch.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Additional Thanks

Great Work for Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Thank you to Executive Producers Walt deFaria, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and Hayao Miyazaki for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), Homily (voice of Amy Poehler), Spiller (voice of Moisés Arias), and Pod (voice of Will Arnett).


Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. A good watch for Studio Ghibli fans.

Video Critique Available Here:



Ben Meyers

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