Borrowing from the Borrowers

Arrietty is a vivacious, high-spirited 14-year old girl. She is also a Borrower, a tiny person no larger than a bug in a world that often steps on little things. Based on Mary Norton's acclaimed series of children's books, <em>The Secret World of Arrietty</em> began as an animated film by Japanese director Hiromasa Yonebayashi from acclaimed anime Studio Ghiblio (<em>Ponyo</em>, <em>Spirited Away</em>) before being repurposed for global release by Disney with dubbed English voices (Will Arnett, Bridget Mendler, Carol Burnett) and a Celtic-flavored score linking the story to Irish legends of the Little People. The imaginatively visualized rendition is aimed directly at the tweener girl market, but remains an excellent children's story for addressing the reality of sadness, separation and cruelty along with the possibility for human compassion. <em>The Secret World of Arrietty</em> is out as a Blu-ray/DVD combo.