Review of The Secret World of Arrietty

A simple story about the power of friendship with a fantastic lead character, Arriety. After watching When Marnie Was There directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, which may be the last Studio Ghibli film, I wanted to see watch the first film he directed, Arriety, and it does not disappointment. This is a story ultimately about friendship which is shown really well here. All the moments between Arriety and Sho are very touching as they get to know each other. Arriety is initially hesitant but curious about Sho, and gradually as she learns more about him they get closer together and begin to trust each other. The characters arevery likeable and relatable, although could have been explored more. Arriety is a fantastic lead character, she's a highly energetic teenager who's excited and curious about exploring the house she lives in. However this often leads to trouble, there’s a moment where she feels guilty about what she’s done, there’s a really touching moment when she cries herself to sleep. However Arriety’s vulnerable side isn't shown very often and it would of been nice this more. Sho is quite pessimistic. There's a very emotional moment when he explains to Arrietty his viewpoint in life while they are outside, it's really heartbreaking to see him like this was a very emotional moment. Although it would of been nice to learn more about Sho and his problems. Arriety’s parents are likeable and act like real parents, Arrietty's mum is constantly worried about her, while her father is very quiet and logical. Unfortunately Haru the housekeeper is a really poorly developed character. She is constantly trying to trap the Borrowers, but her motives are unknown and this makes her very unlikeable and unrelatable.

The story is simple but effective. It starts out with Arriety exploring the house more, which leads to the main problem later on. The story is easy to understand and certainly has some exciting moments during the action sequences.

The animation is fantastic, the characters and backgrounds, especially inside the house and outside were really detailed. Especially during Arriety's first trip to the house with her father was fantastic. The shots made simple household objects look like a massive landscape, like a kitchen bench looking like a cliff.

This is a simple story about friendship which is definitely worth seeing, although Arriety’s and Sho’s personal struggles could have been explored more.

Constructive feedback for this review is appreciated :)