The Secret World of Arrietty｜Anime

2022.05.14

“The Secret World of Arrietty” is a Japanese animated film produced by Studio Ghibli. The film is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who makes his directorial debut.

Based on Mary Norton’s book “The Borrowers,” the film depicts a family of dwarfs living in hiding in a human mansion while borrowing things, and the interaction between the dwarf girl, Arrietty, and the human boy, Sho.

Synopsis

In a certain suburb, there was a vast old mansion with a rough garden. Under the floor, the soon-to-be 14-year-old dwarf girl Arrietty lives quietly and peacefully with her father Pod and mother Homily.
Arrietty’s family lived in the house without being noticed by the two old ladies who lived on the floor of the house, Sadako (the landlady) and Haru (the maid). They lived by borrowing only what they needed.

Borrowers.

One summer day, a 12-year-old boy named Sho arrived at the mansion to receive medical treatment.
We must not be seen by humans. If they see you, you have to move out. That was the rule of the dwarfs under the floor, but Arrietty is seen by Sho.

“You are putting your family in danger.”

Arrietty rebuffs her father.
“I don’t think all humans are that dangerous.”

Arrietty’s natural curiosity and daredevil personality help her to gradually get closer to Sho.
A major incident is looming over Arrietty’s family. Which race is dying, the humans or the dwarves?

The Secret World of Arrietty | Recommendations

Don’t expect “The Secret World of Arrietty” to be an “epic story” involving the world and the city like Hayao Miyazaki’s animations. It is not a “big story,” but rather a very familiar, heart-wrenching, and wonderful tale.
The world of the story is all about one house, and the story takes place within that small world. The story seems to be complete within the house, but the story is like a spiral that refuses to return to its original position and heads toward a refreshing ending.

The boy who could never achieve anything achieves one thing.
The final scene with “Arrietty” is a mutual escape from a world that has closed in on both of them. It is a wonderful animated film that can be seen in different ways by different viewers, but it is a film that you can relate to as if it were your own.
Another recommendation for this work is the sound.
The “sounds” that the dwarfs hear in the play are various sounds that we hear but do not hear. You will realize the beauty of animation that expresses the sounds that we humans hear unconsciously.