Westside Steve Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 The Secret World of Arrietty Disney G 94 min Ok enough of these self-indulgent artistes in Tinseltown. I’m rarely wrong as I repeat the maxim that the gang at Mouse Central can do no wrong. Well, hardly ever. I know there’s a well-known children’s series called The Borrowers and I believe this animated film is taken from that. The “borrowers” are a tine race of people who live in nooks and hidden places often within the homes of us regular size folk, or as they call us “beings.” The stealthy little buggers roam their surroundings secretly snitching the small amount of goods they need to live. They live in constant danger of being spotted by the large people whose natural curiosity would surely make their lives miserable. In this chapter young borrower Arrietta has been noticed by a couple of beings. One,, Shawn, is a teen boy sent to stay with relatives awaiting treatment for a weak heart. The otherm, Hara, is a nosy and somewhat unpleasant housekeeper bent on rooting out the little people once and for all. Hiromasa Yonebayashi (I’m guessing that’s not a Gaelic name) is the guy behind this flick and apparently this version is the US version. A fun thing about animation is that a new sound track makes a brand new film for whatever language you pick. The US version includes Amy Pohler Bridgit Mendler and Carol Burnett in the voice cast. If I were to pick a bone here I don’t suppose this will be a huge favorite of American children who seem to like more action noise and pop music to hold their attention. ARRIETTY is pretty to look at and the quasi Celtic music is lovely, but there isn’t any hip hop and no explosions. I liked the panoramic artwork and the relaxed pacing. My first theater choice greeted me with nearly 30 little kids and a handful of adults yapping like the primate cage at the zoo so I hopped into the car and made a later show on the other side of town. I think that was a wise choice as I could enjoy the movie and not risk incarceration for strangling any 8 year olds. B+ WSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.