As with so many Studio Ghibli productions, the pace sets it apart. Never having read The Borrowers, it's unclear to me how much of the plot was omitted, in order to allow the careful and deep experience of everyday life. Just crossing the house, for example, is an all-day excursion. But including that in the experience is worth any plot developments they may have left out, and for anyone curious, another reason to read the book. ( )

Arrietty is a Borrower, a little people that live under the floors in the houses of humans. When a new boy named Shawn comes to stay at the house Arrietty’s family lives in, he discovers her and the existence of Borrowers. Despite the fact that Borrowers are not supposed to let humans see them, Shawn and Arrietty begin a tentative friendship that leads to a great adventure and affects their lives forever. The plot of this movie is based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton, first published in 1952. Not having read the book, it is difficult to say just how much the movie does (or does not) follow the book although the book certainly did not have a Japanese setting. The movie comes from the famous Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli. The acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki did not direct the movie, but he was involved in the plot and screenplay. Following in the Studio Ghibli tradition, the movie is charming and delightful. It sure to please both Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli fans as well as those viewers new to their movies. The Disney presented version allows for viewing in English, French, and the original Japanese with English, French, and English for the Hearing Impaired as the available subtitles. Special features are limited to a music video of one of the songs from the movie (“Summertime” by Bridgit Mendler) and a clip on the making of that music video. The movie is rated “G” for general audience and would make a terrific film to watch as a family. ( )

It’s all about the ladybugs.
Animators at Japan’s Studio Ghibli, making children’s movies since the 1980s, have earned the adoration of young and old, worldwide.
They have done it not by making breakneck-paced, slapstick-ridden movies full of fart jokes, but by focusing on the flow of life. The movies actually take the time, once a scene is over, to linger in the moment and focus on a ladybug crawling across a leaf and taking to the sky.
The studio’s other trademarks — richly detailed backdrops; strong, brave young characters; and hugely imaginative storytelling — are evident in classic works such as “Grave of the Fireflies,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”
Their latest is the beautiful, gentle “The Secret World of Arrietty,” directed by first-timer Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Legendary Hayao Miyazaki co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced.
The new movie is adapted from Mary Norton’s 1952 novel “The Borrowers,” a story that also provided the basis for a loud, vulgar, live-action comedy in 1997. But “The Secret World of Arrietty” couldn’t be more different, or more refreshing. It’s even gentler than Miyazaki’s last outing, 2009’s “Ponyo.”
Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) is a “borrower,” a tiny person living with her mother and father (voiced by Amy Poehler and Will Arnett) underneath the floorboards of a beautiful house in the countryside.
Her father takes her up to the house for her first “borrowing,” a sugar cube and a piece of tissue. Unfortunately, one of the full-size human “beans” spots her.
But the “bean” Shawn (David Henrie) — a sad, sickly boy who has come to stay with his aunt and her snooping housekeeper, Hara (brilliantly voiced by Carol Burnett) — is different.
Shawn and Arrietty slowly become friends, despite her father’s mistrust of humans and Hara’s zealous determination to catch the little people long-rumored to be living in the house.
The movie conjures many magical moments, ranging from a crow stuck in a window screen to a tubby, short-tailed cat forever stalking the little folks, and an awe-inspiring first glimpse of a beautiful dollhouse.
Burnett, the movie’s unexpected secret, throws herself into the loony Hara and comes up with big laughs, somewhat declawing the story’s villain.
Indeed, the movie is so serene, some American kids may find themselves squirming a bit like ladybugs. But most will be caught up in its beautiful spell, immersed in great storytelling at its finest.

by Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner ( )