She knows that Sho is no danger to her family, but what she fails to realize is that not all humans are like Sho. Despite her father’s warnings, and with no small amount of her own uncertainty, Arrietty slowly encourages the friendship, gradually working over the next few days towards speaking face-to-face with Sho. The borrowing mission goes somewhat awry, and Arrietty is again spotted by Sho, who begins to establish a dialog with her. (In the book, “The Boy” is recovering from rheumatic fever, which he had contracted in India.) Sho is also awaiting heart surgery, and is supposed to be avoiding any stress. Young Sho (or Shawn in the US version) is the nephew of the lady of the house, and is staying with her while his own mother is away. Unbeknownst to either parent, however, Arrietty has already been seen by a boy who has just moved into the house where the Borrower family stays. The two parents’ personalities come into full focus when Arrietty is about to go with her father on her first borrowing expedition. Pod is stoic, patient, and kind but Homily, while also a good person, is also shrill and overly emotional when it comes to worrying or reacting to danger. Arrietty is a Borrower who lives with her parents Pod and Homily. The film follows the first Borrowers book’s plot to a large extent. In accordance to Miyazaki’s intentions (he was also the film’s production planner), he delivered a quiet, largely peaceful and leisurely paced film that may serve as a gateway for kids into the Studio Ghibli world, just as My Neighbor Totoro did a generation ago. Arrietty was directed by first-time director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who became the youngest director to helm a Ghibli theatrical release. Ghibli’s film was called Arietty in many jurisdictions, but was retitled The Secret World Of Arrietty for the American market, along with Canada. They are called Borrowers, since they “borrow” items from humans that they don’t think would be missed (most people would still call this stealing, since they don’t return the “borrowed” items, but I digress). The book series, begun in 1952, concerns itself with the lives of a family of tiny people and their acquaintances. It’s also been stated that Miyazaki had his eye on doing an adaptation for many years. Of course, these may not have been heavily seen in the Japanese market, as they were primarily British efforts or American-British co-productions. The Borrowers books by Mary Norton have seen a number of television and film adaptations over the past twenty years, though admittedly these were live action ones. The subject matter, however, was a little surprising. For the latest Ghibli effort, Miyazaki co-wrote the script (with Keiko Niwa), so some level of quality was certainly expected. When he’s not directing, we’ve had a mixed bag over the years- those films have ranged from the powerful Grave Of The Fireflies to the positively delightful Whisper Of The Heart on the other hand, we have also had the loopy My Neighbors The Yamadas. The release of a new Studio Ghibli film will always arouse the interest of the Japanese studio’s fan base, particularly when Hayao Miyazaki is directing. Studio Ghibli (2010), Buena Vista Home Entertainment (May 22, 2012), 1 Blu-ray + 1 DVD, 95 mins, 1.85:1 ratio, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Rated G, Retail: $39.99Ī girl who belongs to a race of tiny people risks her family’s well being to develop a friendship with a human boy.
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