'The Secret World of Arrietty'-a Fresh Look

Kat and I just took the girls to watch The Secret World of Arrietty this afternoon.  For those unfamiliar, this movie is based on the book "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton.  The borrowers essentially are little people that live beneath floorboards and "borrow" items from the much larger "beans" (or human beings) in order to survive.  The movie focuses on Arrietty, a brave and adventurous teenage borrower, her interest in the human world, and its impact on her family.

The movie's pace is not what is typically expected of an animated flick.  The movie is much slower than the typical animated fare.  However, I think overall this was necessary to gather the intricacy of the lives of the little people.  The detail and pace of the scenes allow you to see how the borrowers have used human scraps for necessary items.  It really gets you to look at the world through tiny eyes rather than your own big eyes.  Yet, I did find a few spots a little too slow for me---like awkward pauses.  Overall, though, the girls seemed to do well with this pace and were entranced by the movie.

Many of the scenes are beautiful and contain amazing detail.  The storyline is not complicated and provides a sweet message about families and friendship despite differences.  I feel that the adventure coupled with the fascinating scenery and the view of the world through young Arrietty's  eyes really make this movie entertaining for adults and children alike.

There are a couple things to be aware of with this film--some of the scenes are in dark settings so it may be a little frightening.  (Honestly, though, I feel that other Disney movies are more frightening--hello, Lion King!)  Also, there is discussion of illness and death.  It is not a long discussion, but it is nice to expect it in case there are any curious questions!  That being said--this movie is a great family movie and I am glad that we went!

http://disney.go.com/arrietty/