It’s been a while now since this film came out, but it’s so lovely, that I thought I’d spend a little bit of time on it. The film in question is Arietty, from the legendary Studio Ghibli. Although it came out in 2010, it is a slice of pure sunshine that should not be forgotten.
Arriety is the first film to be directed by star Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who had previously worked on favourites such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away. In case you were wondering, Hirao Miyazaki may not be at the helm, but it’s still great.
The film is an adaptation of The Borrowers, four classic books of children’s literature written by English author, Mary Norton. All the books tell the tale of little people known as Borrowers and their life living beneath the floor of a large country house in England. They are known as Borrowers because they borrow things that we drop – so a 77diamonds ring would be a large ornament on their wall and a thimble might be used as a large cooking pot.
Arriety is not a Japanese word, but takes its name from the main character, Arriety Clock. All the Borrower’s stories revolve around the Clock family, headed by Pod (Arriety’s father) and Homily (her mother). As well as the Clock’s there are The Big People, who are the humans whose house the Clock’s live in.
The film was a great success in Japan and became the highest grossing Japanese film in the box office of 2010. The film gives the rest of the characters slightly different names from the books and has a different plot, but it keeps the genuine charm and wonder at the world that is the keynote of the books. If you want to be charmed, then Arriety is for you.