Arrietty

Studio Ghibli has been functioning for over two and a half decades now, the studio having been compiled in 1985, its first film, “Castle in the Sky,” released the following year. It’s a Japanese film studio that specialises in hand-drawn animation, each of its productions wonderfully stylised in an anime and/or manga fashion (are they the same thing? I‘m not sure). This is the studio that charmed us with “My Neighbour Totoro,“ moved us to tears with “Grave of the Fireflies,“ wowed us with “Princess Mononoke” and flabbergasted us with the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away.” With this unflinching reputation, it’s a wonder that the studio is not mentioned as a rival to Pixar Animation Studios more often; it is of note that Pixar has already stumbled with “Cars 2” this year.

But Studio Ghibli is most definitely not stumbling in the movie theatres in 2011. Their latest cinematic offering is the magnificent “Arrietty,” based on English author Mary Norton’s classic children’s book “The Borrowers.” You may remember another big-screen adaptation of the fantasy novel that hit cinemas in 1997, though that one was live-action and starred Jim Broadbent and John Goodman; Studio Ghibli’s version is quite an alteration.

The film follows a family of three little people, which I must point out does not mean that they are a trio of dwarfs. They are “borrowers,” i.e. tiny people that can fit in the palm your hand who supposedly “borrow” objects from us gigantic human beings. I’ve placed “borrow” in quotation marks because we never witness them actually giving any of these objects back where they belong.

They live in hiding from us, trying to stay out of our site as they sneak around our houses, pinching household items for their own personal uses (sugar cubes, pins, etc.). Mother Homily (voiced by Olivia Colman, “Hot Fuzz”) is especially petrified of us, her husband Pod (Mark Strong, “Green Lantern”) on the other hand much braver, while their 14-year-old daughter Arrietty (Saoirse Ronan, “Hanna”) is naively curious about us, though wary of our presence.

This 10cm family lives peacefully under the floorboards of a western Tokyo house in the middle of the woods, where 12-year-old boy Sho (stage actor Tom Holland) will be staying as he awaits heart surgery. Unfortunately, Sho almost immediately becomes aware of the little people’s existence, specifically Arrietty, who has just begun her borrowing lessons.

As a result of being discovered, Homily and Pod decide it’s time to pack up and find a new home elsewhere if they are to survive. But Arrietty unwittingly finds herself striking up a (platonic) relationship with this big friendly giant, in spite of her loving parents’ worst fears.

“Arrietty” is the directorial debut of Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a long-time animator for Studio Ghibli. Keeping a watchful eye over the project and serving as a co-writer is renowned filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away,” “Howl‘s Moving Castle“), one of the founders of the studio; his presence is very much felt throughout the film.

This is a film of elegant beauty, which is a result of both its visual allure and its confident charm. Right from its opening scene, “Arrietty” is an instantly captivating cinematic experience, fitted with the rare ability to hook audiences of all ages, or at least any film-goer with a sense of imagination still intact; I know it’s a cliché to say, but this is the kind of film that truly does unlock one’s inner child.

There’s a sense of wonder to the film, we as an audience taken into the teeny tiny world of the borrowers, of the little people who nab household items they believe we will not notice have gone missing. We watch with them as they watch the colossal humans towering over them. We experience along with our protagonist Arrietty the ways of the borrowers, she herself being taught by her caring father. We are fully immersed in their lives, intrigued and fixated in their every action.

As expected, it’s all exquisitely animated, all drawn by hands that sketch in the finer details that give the frame that extra oomph. There’s a richness to the colours, an exuberance to the style and an overwhelming charm and grace to the visuals that few computer-generated animations could ever capture; this, along with April’s “Winnie the Pooh,” makes me miss the old days of hand-drawn animation.

Because the film was originally recorded in Japanese, us Brits have been given an English dub, which I’m sure many will automatically scowl at (though the stubborn will be pleased to know there is a subtitled version as well). The English voice cast is all spectacular, including Geraldine “Miss Marple” McEwan as Sho’s maid Haru. As is with past Studio Ghibli films, the little subtleties in the vocals are what really make these characters come alive, and here these subtleties are in full force.

To put it simply, “Arrietty” is a beautiful, noble and absorbing piece of family-friendly animation that is something of a modern classic. Crafted with both children and adults in mind, it is a definite must-see for anyone who wishes to have an enriching and fulfilling time at their local multiplex. It’s safe to say that Studio Ghibli has yet another brilliant hit on its hands.

9/10