The Secret World of Arrietty is a beautiful hands down best animation with great artwork by Studio Ghibi and Disney. The story was based on the novel by Mary Norton's The Burrowers. It's about a young tiny girl who is discovering huge people's objects in a huge house. She spends time with her parents and she meets a huge young boy who is visiting to stay at the caretaker's house for his operation of his sick heart. She has friendship with the boy and she discovers to become one of the small people known as the burrowers. The characters are interesting and it's been done by great voice acting. Arrietty was portrayed by Bridgit Mendler and she did a great voice with deep heart and strong bravery. Shawn was also portrayed by David Henrie and he did great too with great emotional character development. More characters are fun including Arrietty's mother (Amy Poehler), Arrietty's father (Will Arnett), and the caretaker named Haru (Carol Burnett). The animation is so beautiful with great art by Ghibli. The background is so colorful with flowers, the household items, the characters, and the huge house. Much like Spirited Away and Ponyo, it's phenomenal bright and deep stunning stylish. In my conclusion, The Secret World of Arrietty is a nicely done film and one of my best films of 2012 that I can watch it over and over. It treats us for bigger adults and Ghibli's art fans, but even children will definitely watch.… Expand

Hayao Miyazaki knows exactly what he's doing. If you enjoyed Ponyo and Spirited Away, then you will never once regret spending your money to see this movie. totally worth the ten dollars to see it in the theater.

Not many movies these days leave you with a tugging feeling of the heart, but this one surely did. Everything is idyllic and picturesque - from the smallest details of a miniature kitchen room to the vast green-scape of the gardens. The characters are overwhelming charming and lovable, and one cannot help but wish that they are real. The story is subtle but strong, and the music is breathtaking. I agree with some of critics that the pacing may have been a tad slow overall (lulling effect), and that Arrietty and Sho/Shawn as characters may have been a little flat (though I just call it subtlety of the Japanese reserve), but those things shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying this film 110%.… Expand

This movie is classic Ghibli magic. The feel is much like the heroines of My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. She's bold, hyper-responsible, and wants very much to take care of everyone. It's a small, quiet story, told with beautiful detail.

A great animation, made with classic Anime techniques, showing that you don't need top CG and computer teams to make a wonderful Job. The story is about a boy who have a heart disease, and ius going to rest in a country house, that was his grandfather house. There, bellow the floor lives a little people family, the called Borrowers, that take from the home above thing to survive. The detailing of the scenarios, voicing and the soundtrack are perfect to transmits the sensation of peace of the place and the live-style of the house (s) - all animation is full of colours and details, with excelent sound effects. A story to all the family, and a masterpiece from Studio Ghibli, that deserve to be one of the top movies (animations) this year. My score: 8,7 / 10,0… Expand

I love The Secret World of Arrietty, is an interesting anime film, about a different world, and is perfect this film, this studio never do a terrible work and the secret world of arrietty is fantastic.

I kept pausing this film just to take in certain frames, usually sketches the garden. Each frame is an absolute work of art. To add to that the story is very nice and the voiceovers are top notch as always. A lovely film indeed and a great collection to Ghibli's repertoire.

To The New York Times Manohla Dargis I say this: Your review is contingent on the quality of the book, not the actual movie, thus I will disregard the score you gave this flick. I personally felt it was fantastic. Brilliant animation, good characters... I didn't really find anything wrong with it, hence the 10.

The Secret World of Arrietty is a spectacular film from Ghibli, the story is not really original to me but I guess that's because its adopted, and the visuals are out of world as ever. Should you watch it, yes, there is many reasons why you should watch this. One its from Ghibli, 2 its from Ghibli, 3 yeah I guess you get it by now. The story is very similar to other movies from them, there a boy and a very brave girl who would do anything to help others or to help herself.… Expand

proof that ghibli still has it's magic and wonder even without miyazaki at the the helm, but instead writing the scripts. this movie is very visually stunning and is a wonderful re imagining of the orignal books, and the best adaptation of them that I have seen

When I first heard about this movie I had to see it and I had extremely high expectations, and I was not disappointed, it's beautifully animated with attention to detail everywhere, it just looks gorgeous, and the voice work is fantastic, and the music is perfect for the movie, and every little sound from the borrowers footsteps to the creaking of the floorboards all make the movie feel more alive, you will find yourself falling in love with the characters, I do wish it ended a little differently, not that it ended badly I just would have liked to have seen it end a little differently, but it's still a masterpiece, this is a perfect family movie and a must watch for everyone, very few movies manage to be this enjoyable and full of magic, a must watch.… Expand

This Movie Is So Amazing! (As Other Ghibli Movies)
All I Can Say Is The Animation Is So Beautiful, A Great Plot, Overall In My Opinion The Best Animated Movie Of 2012!
This Needs To Be Nominated For A Acadamy Award! FINGERS CRO$$ED!

Arrietty is quite simply a joy to behold. Simultaneously an affectionate and faithful adaptation of Mary Norton's novel The Borrowers and a highly original journey in visual terms, the film captivates you from the very start. Much like Studio Ghibli's last feature Ponyo, Arrietty is sweet, tender and without agenda, other than the environmental subtext that it wouldn't be Ghibli without. Again like Ponyo, it's a film about growing up, finding your place in the world and truly appreciating the importance of family and friends. Arrietty is visually sumptuous even by Studio Ghibli's standard - everything is drawn and animated beautifully, and it's very easy to get swept up in the colossal domestic and garden environments, all presented from a "Borrower's-eye-view". The voice cast are spot-on, particularly Mirai Shida's inquisitive and adventurous teen Borrower and titular heroine Arrietty and Kirin Kiki's scheming caretaker Haru, who makes a sinister but humorous antagonist. The film's simple but effective score by Cecile Corbel rounds things off nicely, and adds a little extra emotion and magic to proceedings. Arrietty is a truly great animated film, and in a really quite horrifying modern world, it makes a nice change to watch something that is so innocent, that would satisfy a 5 year-old or an 85 year-old in equal measure.… Expand

A studio Ghibli film, what more can I say. Extremely well done, great story. Just an overall Studio Ghibli classic. If you like other films such as, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, Hal's Moving Castle, you should like this film.

Arrietty is a visual delight with beautifully animated characters and locales, an entertainingly simplistic premise and some great comic timing. It's studio Ghibli at its finest as it not only brings the viewer into Arrietty's tiny world but also makes it seem more beautiful than the one we giants live in. Arrietty instills a great sense of adventure in the viewer as both Arrietty and Sho explore each others worlds and find great joy and enrichment from experiencing both together. It's a film with a wealth of emotion and heart that never lets up, even as the film draws to a close in an unexpected way. The characters are unique with Arrietty being adventurous but incredibly empathetic to both humans and borrowers. Sho is optimistic despite his significant problems and Pod, Arrietty's father is calm, conscientious but constantly fearful of the world he lives in. Sure its darker than most American animation but in comparison to films like The Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away, Arrietty is like a ray of sunshine in comparison. Overall the film is not just beautiful and clever it instills a sense of the magical into your everyday life as you secretly wish that there are small people living in the walls, living life to the fullest.… Expand

If you're a fan of Miyazaki's movies, don't miss this one! The animation is superb, the story is rich and never loses its smooth pacing, and the characters are likable and entertaining. The movie successfully reminds us of just how huge our own world is and how often we take it for granted. And, thankfully, there IS an epilogue at the end, so no worries about having to guess like at the conclusion of Spirited Away (even if that movie was also fantastic). The only thing I can possibly ding it a point for is the music since the original songs were so much better, but they're still not too bad. Now go see the movie!… Expand

a movie with a very well made as to the emotional, with a sweet and entertaining story that can disfrutat young and old. well done Disney and Studio Gibhi.

I should preface this review with an admission, I love Studio Ghibli's work, all of it, so I am a little biased when it comes to their films. The Secret World of Arrietty is one of their finest works to date, beautifully animated (and by beautifully I really mean stunning), a wonderful story with great voice acting. You really can't help but smile and be happy at the end, even if the ending is somewhat bittersweet. Certainly more approachable Ghibli film then others for American audiences. Go see it, take yourself, your spose, your children, your friends children, your niece, your nephew, your parents, your grandparents, and anyone else I haven't mentioned. It is truly a beautiful film and should be enjoyed by all.… Expand

This is a beautiful movie, a beautiful story. Our whole family, ranging in age from five to 81 went together and everyone left smiling. Studio Ghibli will rarely do you wrong. Arrietty is precocious and brave. Her father is stoic and kind. Her mother is frantic and devoted. Enjoy the show!

good

Beautiful artwork, lovable characters and a touching story. A wonderful movie based on one of my favorite childhood books, The Borrowers. Worth watching if you're a fan of the book or Studio Ghibli's films and definitely worth owning if you're a fan of both!

What I liked best about this movie is that it didn't have to be obnoxious and filled with gross-out humor to keep the kid's attention. Little scenes like stirring tea, falling raindrops or traveling through the house was mesmerizing, and it didn't need boisterous noises to keep the children awake and alert. The Secret World of Arrietty is another great movie from Studio Ghibli. The animation is stunning, the story is simple but touching (and a bit bittersweet), and I recommend it to any family who is going to the movies sometime soon. 9/10… Expand

Una pelicula realmente interesante, con un tema no muy original, pero si muy bien recreado por parte del estudio ghibli, con un final muy interesante, les recomiendo esta pelicula para que la vean en compañia, y asi poderla disfrutar mas.

Studio Ghibli Does It Again!
Another Great Movie, But The Ending Seems Rushed! It Would Of Been A 10!

This film is wonderful a beautiful family film that has a breathtaking soundtrack and is a delight to look at. One of the best animated films i have seen.