Arrietty (2010) Review

A Studio Ghibli Gem



Many of the films that have been released by Studio Ghibli such as Spirited Away and Howls moving Castle, they are regarded as the best films by Studio Ghibli, the film Arrietty is not one of the best, but it's a film that is charming and you will want to watch it again. The first thing that is noticeable and can differ from a lot of the other Ghibli films is the attention to detail in the still animation.
The design and attention to detail are beautiful especially when the story takes us outside of the house and into the outdoor/garden areas; I really have to congratulate the animators for this and still goes to show how much drawn animation can still offer in this present day when a lot of other animation depend on CGI, you simply have to admire what Ghibli have been doing for many years. Along with the stunning colours and visuals, is the music that fit's perfectly well with this film, Cecile Corbel's English iteration of Arrietty's theme and 'Neglected garden' fit well with the peaceful environment and does show why this film is one of Ghibli's little Gems. The dialogue and the writing is pretty standard and expected of this sought of animation and story being that it does relate back to Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers', you are going to be noticing that it is aimed at children which is absolutely fine.Putting my head around this though, the dialogue and the writing has a balance of humour but seriousness to it which again is expected for a child to watch. There may be not a lot of action, but you have to expect this coming from this specific story and different iteration of the Borrowers.
The characters are very lovable and you can easily be attached to their world. Also to note the English dub is perfectly acceptable since it does appeal to children, Saorise Ronan does an excellent job of doing the voice of Arrietty, probably one of her best performances in film so far. Being that I have watched this film in the English Dub, American Dub and in Japanese, I would recommend to stay away from the American Dub being that Disney infamously tend to butcher the original Ghibli films that they have as reference. I would recommend to watch either the English Dub or the Japanese version since they feel more authentic and natural.The film maybe only and hour and 30 minutes and can be considered to not match up to the likes of 'Spirited Away' or 'Ponyo', but Hiromasa Yonebayashi has done a fantastic job; the film is sweet and gentle and definitely does appeal to the main target audience of Children as it does have stunning visuals to really admire and appreciate, the characters are certainly likeable and the way Ghibli have re-imagined the story of 'The Borrowers' is certainly interesting.


7/10 Alex Rabbitte

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