Reviews

It's hard to shake the feeling that Karigurashi no Arrietty feels like the premise of a Western feature, probably a CG abomination if that were the case. The idea has already existed within many different renditions, each attempting a unique approach to the power dynamic of little people (Borrowers) living in a huge world, well larger than human perception at least. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi's spin on the family genre has charm, but most importantly, he avoids the weight of sappiness. Uncontrolled sentimentality can easily spiral throughout a screenplay, and the guilt of needing to pity melodramatic situations negatively influences the viewer's impression when films themselves don't necessarily justify such emotions. Karigurashi no Arrietty's narrative angle is fully immersed in a sense of independence, and like most Ghibli stories, there is unshakeable bravery. Arrietty as a character exemplifies this, and along with her family, she brings an enjoyable sense of crossing into unlikely fantasy without losing much in the way of plot-centric storytelling.

Yonebayashi's debut feature, however, still has its imperfections, mainly the absence of imagination, while boasting little originality. The film doesn't employ the signature grandiose sequences of adventure, and its scope is limited to actual interaction. One could argue that the contrast from our expectations is refreshing, although I find it equally unfortunate seeing Miyazaki's script not showing much depth, nor being illustrated with a deserved level of directing style. Karigurashi no Arrietty has no shortage of aesthetic material, but it also lacks the substance of other productions from the studio, and a lot of the static backgrounds are prettier for a frame than they are interesting long-term. On the contrary, the animation does a fantastic job of demonstrating the size difference across the cast and integrates strength with the scale of real-world items and the potential difficulties they pose for the Borrowers. The score is a bit mawkish, albeit Cecile Corbel's harp on the theme is a great addition to the countryside environment. A fine addition to the Ghibli Catalogue, celebrating youth and kindness in lush fashion.