The Secret World of Arrietty

The tooth fairy paid us a visit last week, leaving behind her usual gold dollar coin and a handwritten note. Sometimes the fairy leaves other signs of her visit: a pen set down in a different spot, or objects rearranged on the nightstand. I recently overheard Pearl and her friends comparing notes about such evidence. One time, Pearl’s friend Sasha saw footprints on her windowsill. According to Pearl, the tooth fairy is small enough to sit on your hand and lives in a glistening white castle made of teeth.

With tiny visitors on our minds, it seemed fitting to watch The Secret World of Arrietty, a story about a family of four-inch high “borrowers” who live beneath the floorboards of an old house.  The borrowers are so-named because they take things they need from human homes—a pin, a tissue, a cube of sugar. After we watched it, Pearl told me she understood now why small things sometimes go missing.

Based on Mary Norton’s 1952 novel, The Borrowers, The Secret World of Arrietty is the latest production from Japan’s Studio Ghibli, with a screenplay written by Hayao Miyazaki. The film features Studio Ghibli’s trademark stunning animation and careful attention to details, creating a magical world for the audience to enter.

In the film, we meet a boy named Sho, who is awaiting surgery for a heart condition. His parents, busy with their own lives, have left him to rest at his great aunt’s house in the country. Sho is a lonely, sad, and sickly character, but his life starts to change when he spies a tiny girl named Arrietty in the garden one afternoon. Despite her parents’ grave warnings, Arrietty communicates with Sho, and a friendship develops.

This friendship, however, puts Arrietty’s family at risk. A dwindling population, borrowers depend on secrecy for their survival, and discovery by humans has historically led to their demise. When Arrietty’s parents learn that a human knows of their existence, they are terrified and ready themselves to abandon the home they have lovingly built.

Arrietty and Sho’s innocent friendship leads to danger and upheaval, and the unfolding story kept us all (me, three-year-old George, six-year-old Pearl, and their dad) at the edge of our seats. Arrietty is an independent, clever and spunky character, a strong female lead, which I always appreciate. Her independence, however, is also her downfall, as she insists on disregarding her parents’ warnings. This makes her feel very real and all the more sympathetic as ultimately we see her striving to right the mistakes she has made. 

The Secret World of Arrietty is another testament to the brilliance of Miyazaki, a beautifully rendered, creative and entertaining film that will appeal to a broad range of viewers, from small kids to grown-ups.  It’s available now on DVD, so add it to your summer film viewing list. You’ll be glad you did.

And don’t be surprised if you or your kids start to notice evidence of small visitors in your own home. A lost coin or pen top might just mean there are borrowers afoot.