My own little review of The Borrower Arrietty

Doraemon666

Doraemon666

Magical Girl
Well here it is folks my review of the latest Ghibli masterpiece The Borrower Arrietty released in japanese cinemas last july and went on the win animation of the year at the japan academy prize.This movie sees the directorial debut of Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi(Mononoke Hime,My Neighbours the Yamadas,Spirited Away,Howl's Moving Castle,Tales from Earthsea,Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)he is now the youngest person to direct a studio Ghbili movie,the planning and screenplay was done by none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself and it was produced by Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki.The beautiful music composed for the movie was done by french musician Cécile Corbel who got the job after she sent them fan letters showing her appreciation of there movies and musical scores after they heard her music she was selected to compose the music for the movie.So now onto the movie it is based upon the classic novel The Borrowers by U.K. author Mary Norton,i,m sure we have all seen some form of adaption of her novel be it movies,cartoons or tv series.The Ghibli adaption takes place in Koganei,western Tokyo and like the original story is about tiny people called the Borrowers who live under the floorboards of a normal sized house.The film is based around Arrietty a Borrower and a human boy called Sho who goes to live with his aunt in her house where his mother grew up in,Arrietty lives with her mother and father and live a peaceful live and are happy but it is said once a Borrower is seen by a human they must depart and go and live somewhere else as they see humans as a danger,its the warmth between Arrietty and her family and her growing friendship with Sho during the movie that is the root of the movies storytelling,like all Ghibli movies the animation is nothing short of superb and the attention to detail is mindblowing and like movies like Totoro the movie goes at a slow pace giving the viewer the chance to be totally engrossed into the fantasy world that lies before them,since the Borrowers are small people who have to venture in the normal sized world to get food and supplies even a venture into the giant sized kitchen to get a sugar cube becomes an adventure in itself and is one of the movies highlights and its little things like Arrietty using a sewing neddle or pin as a sword and her father using fish hooks as grappilng hooks to reach high places that make the Borrowers advenures all the more special.So in conclusion this is a must see for any Ghibli fan or anyone who loves beautiful animation and great stoytelling and a great directorial debut of Studio Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi who has done the studio proud and in my eyes is a classic already,it might not be as deep as other Ghibli movies but that is no bad thing its sweet and charming and is sure to please Ghibli fans and animation fans alike,the movie is being released in the U.K. this summer with a dvd release following shortly.On a final note the latest Ghbili movie Kokurikozaka Kara directed by Goro Miyazaki is released in japan on july 16th and i have been hearing great things about it already and wait with baited to see it.Overall i give The Borrower Arrietty 8/10
 
I was surprised to hear they'd relocated it to Tokyo. Ghibli are no stranger to European settings, so I thought they might have kept it in Britain. Still, I'm actually kinda curious to see this now - I never really liked the look of Howl's or Ponyo, but this could be more up my street.
 
Professor Irony said:
I was surprised to hear they'd relocated it to Tokyo. Ghibli are no stranger to European settings, so I thought they might have kept it in Britain. Still, I'm actually kinda curious to see this now - I never really liked the look of Howl's or Ponyo, but this could be more up my street.
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Yeah Ghibli is known for its love of european settings but most of the film is based in the house or garden so only the harsh critics will complain as it does not affect the movie in the slightest.
 
I'm glad to here you enjoyed it! Does the plot work okay, I noticed in Ponyo and Howl the plot was a little fuzzy and the film seemed to fall a part a bit towards the end.
 
Its a pretty simple plot with no deeper meanings or sub plots like some of the heavy handed Miyazaki/Takahata Ghibli movies,its bright and easy going and the story keeps you glued to the screen and builds up to its climax with a ending which is very good but leaves you thinking they could easily move the story on and possibly make a sequel or if i,m going to be harsh they could have made the movie an extra half hour longer as they have left the door open for more adventures of Arrietty if they want to but thats just very small criticism and i,m sure most people will love the movie,especially for fans of Ghibli movies like Totoro,Kikis delivery service and The Cat Returns,if you dont like Ghibli this wont convert you but for the rest of us its a must see and another classic from studio Ghibli.
 
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