Arrietty

Last night, I watched Arrietty, having been looking forward to another one of Hayao Miyazaki‘s works after watching Ponyo. Arrietty isn’t directed by Miyazaki, but he’s the screenplay writer and you can definitely see the connection with his earlier production. Arrietty is the tale of small people meeting regular (us) people. Arrietty is a 14 year old girl who is just old enough to go out in the world of humans for her first borrowing expedition. She is accidentally seen by Shu, the human boy with the heart trouble. Having been spotted by a human, Arrietty and her family have to leave their home and find another place where their anonymity is not yet lost. But between Shu spotting her, and Arrietty moving out with her family, an unusual friendship develops when Shu tries to help her keep her secret while offering some acts of kindness. In return, it seems that Arrietty gives Shu hope in a life he was beginning to lose.

The plot, however, is not what drew me to recommend this movie. Like Ponyo, this is a colorful and meaningful presentation of human emotions. The characters are delightful and you cant help feeling in love with them. The interaction between Arrietty and her parents, and that between her and Shu is beautifully drawn. But what’s most important, as is the case with more animations, is the image. The colors on the screen left both adult and children in the movie theatre spellbound. There were the usual moments of laughter, but also those moments of anticipation.

This is an animation that brings to mind both FernGully and Peter Pan. I highly recommend it, as I also recommend Miyazaki’s Ponyo.