Academy award winning Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty was directed by Hiromasa yonebayashi and the screenplay was written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa. It is a breathtaking adaptation of Mary Norton’s classic novel The Borrowers. This 2010 animated film Into the stunning, animated world of Arrietty and her family – a wonderful scaled culture hidden below the floorboards underneath a Japanese house. The film’s stunning visuals and enchanting world touches every viewer’s heart and embodies the beauty of Studio Ghibli’s mythology.
An Overlooked Sugar Coated World Right Below Us
14 years old adorably shy Arriety is a Borrower’s daughter to her parents Pod and Homily. The family lives in a beautifully carved quaint house built under a floorboard of a common human house. Everything a human overlooks could be a treasure to a borrower, a teacup sized person able to survive by hiding, and “borrowing” small unnoticed items like sugars or pins, and regrettably if spotted by a human, the rest of their life will be miserable.
Right from the start of the film, the audience can tell how much skill and effort was put into the Borrowers’ adaptation of the human world on scale of their size. It as if a single bead gets transformed into a drop of water. And their mechanics of surviving is an ingenious mix of whimsy. The intricacy of the world in which the characters reside is pertinent to the main message of the movie which is the existence of completely different beings living compatibly side by side.
A Chance Encounter that Changes Everything
Things change when a sick boy named Sho is sent to live with his grandmother in hope of getting some rest. One day while Arrietty is on a borrowing trip, Sho catches a glimpse of her. The gentle and curious nature of Sho is the direct opposite the fear of Humans the Borrowers possess due to their out dated fables. Eventually, a strong bond develops between the two despite the reservations Arrietty had.
Arrietty’s character brings a certain emotional depth to the film which is set juxtaposed to Sho’s determination. He is devoid of hope as he suffers from a heart condition which makes him loose hope for the future. In the midst of Sho’s suffering, Arriety expands her horizons and begins to wonder about the isolationist principles the Borrowers abide by. Their relationship, as fragile as the wind strums leaves, has a weight that carries on deeply within.
Topics of Life and Endure
At the edge, The Secret World of Arrietty is a tale of life and its nature to endure. The Borrowers are always under the threat of being found, although they tend to remain calm and creative. This unstable way of life is an echo of Shos weakening nature as he manages his complicated sickness. But through their friendship, Arriety as well as Sho support each other in ways that they previously thought was impossible.
Studio Ghibli’s handiwork addresses these issues as well as captures themes of nature. In contrast to the sociable world situated above, the Borrowers’ civilization is paradoxical in that it is dependent on proper resource management as opposed to wasteful surroundings. This quiet statement challenges the audience’s thinking about how they affect the world and in what way those creatures are abel to shed light on the importance of environmental protection.
Every frame is crafted to enhance visual poetry
Ghibli’s effort is portrayed through the animation as well, where every portion of the Borrowers world is full of great creativity. The overwhelming worldly scale is further coupled with the Alteration between the human size and the Borrower’s eye level. Transformation of normal items to magical objects elevates them even further; raindrops are turned into glistening jewels, nails become strong bridges, and leaves morph into umbrellas.
The striking combination of the Borrowers’ house warmth, the astonishing light and shadows, and the green beauty of the garden forms a breathtaking image. Complementing, the sound of the film does add to the experience as the movement of the grass and floorboard squeaks creates a perspective of magnitude.
The Sadness of Change
Deepening the bond between Sho and Arrietty exposes the hardships of their friendship. The ‘Haru’, house maid, is aware of the Borrowers existence and aims at making them vanish like pests. This revelation brings Arrietty’s family on the brink of realization that their life is in danger.
It is commonplace in the Studio Ghibli movies that they possess selfishly sad endings. Arreitty and her family prepare to abandon their house to shelter themselves from the dangers posed by humans. Their act of relocation shows the heart breaking, yet joyous echoes of life’s transformatory phases. Back to Sho, he will now take on the challenges ahead with Arrietty residing in his heart as a fortifying memory.
A Tale for the Ages – Arrietty’s Secret World
The astonishing world of Borrows will keep children enchanted while it’s alterations of loss and renewal will touch the hearts of adults. The Secret World of Arrietty can be seen and enjoyed by all ages. The film can be described as quiet yet emotionally powerful in a way that its viewers are left relaxed, forgetting the world above long after the credits have rolled and having dipped in a new world.
Apart from the tone, the score composed by Cécile Corbel is magical in itself. One can feel emotional as his harp compositions captivate the viewer and lend them a feeling of nostalgia making him wonder. This seamlessly adds to the already great tone of the film.
Revisiting Arrietty’s World
After all these years, The Secret World of Arrietty continue to capture the heart of its viewers. Unlike other films, the focus on small moments fill it with layers of realism and reletivism. The film underscores the kindness over malevolence, the beauty within everyday life, and the strength that can be found in vulnerability.
Arrietty’s world, although diminutive, serves as a reminder for the beauty of cherishing connections and the intricacies that make someone human.
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