Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli's reputation.
It's very pretty (plus a song that is like a gumdrop melting in your ear). Girls may enjoy the sweet, rather wistful story more than most boys.
Read full articleWhat is so bewitching about the mostly static backgrounds in Arrietty is that they can be oxygenated at will by the smallest instance of judiciously placed movement, such as a single fluttering ladybird or a pair of jaunty butterflies in the foreground.
Read full articleArrietty is a fresh take on Mary Norton's classic The Borrowers, with animated artwork that will have adults enchanted and children gripped.
Read full articleThe fresh and simple story will win its share of young fans, though it lacks the disturbing adult elements might have attracted older audiences.
Read full article[The film] pulses with feeling for childhood and nature and develops a surprising amount of suspense considering it takes place around a single suburban home.
Read full articleThis divine hand-drawn animated adventure took my breath away on more than one occasion, and by the time it came to an end all I wanted to do was run up to the projection booth and make the theatre start it over from the beginning.
Read full articleWhile The Secret World of Arrietty hits the mark in terms of style & feel, it doesn't have the emotional depth of the best Studio Ghibli films.
Read full articleIt’s the kind of film that makes you slow down and consider its vast details long after the running time, whereas most Hollywood animated features feel like they were made to keep up with sugar-sniffing and technology-obsessed children.
Read full articleAn oasis of calm in the normally hyperactive world of toon entertainment.
Read full articleIf you've never found yourself watching a Studio Ghibli film, then you owe it to yourself to do so.
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