New movie reviews, DVD reviews, interviews, and all things film.

Follow Me

• Dark Shadows ***
• Darling Companion **1/2
• God Bless America ***
• Marvel's The Avengers ***1/2
• ReGeneration ***
• Sound of My Voice ***
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits ***1/2
• The Raven ***
• Safe **1/2
• The Lucky One 1/2*
• 4:44 Last Day on Earth **1/2
• Blue Like Jazz **
• The Cabin in the Woods ***1/2
• Damsels in Distress ***1/2
• Lockout **1/2
• The Three Stooges ***
• The Turin Horse ****
• We Have a Pope **1/2
• American Reunion **
• Goon ***
• More

• Bird of Paradise
• Maniac Cop
• Miss Representation
• Mother's Day (2012)
• Murder Obsession
• Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
• Underworld Awakening
• The Vow
• Clueless
• Haywire
• Hit!
• Men in Black
• New Year's Eve
• The Red House
• More

• Peter Lord
• Abel Ferrara
• Nicholas Sparks
• Whit Stillman
• Sean Hayes
• Terence Davies
• Peter Lord Interview
• Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
• Taika Waititi
• Will Ferrell
• Interview: Ewan McGregor [SF Examiner]
• Interview: the 'Project X' stars [SF Examiner]
• Interview: Oren Moverman
• Interview: Rachel McAdams
• Interview: Ti West
• Interview: Elizabeth Banks
• 2011: The Year's Best Films
• Year's Best DVDs and Blu-Rays
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards
• The Decade's Ten Best Films: 2000-2009
• My Top 100 Films [Updated]
• My Top 60 Directors [Updated]
• Christmas Movies
• Essential Halloween & Horror Movies
• Cult Movies
• More Features and Interviews

• Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, by Alonso Duralde
• Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, by Judy Stone
• James Agee: The Library of America Collection, by James Agee
• Just Making Movies, by Ronald L. Davis
• More Books

• Home
• Reviews A-C
• Reviews D-F
• Reviews G-J
• Reviews K-M
• Reviews N-Q
• Reviews R-T
• Reviews U-Z

The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

SEARCH MOVIES / CELEB

The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Little Treasures

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

It's all about the ladybugs.

The animators at Japan's Studio Ghibli have been making children's movies since the 1980s and have earned the adoration of young and old, worldwide.

They have done this not by making breakneck, slapstick movies full of fart jokes, but by focusing on the flow of life. These movies actually take the time, once a scene is over, to linger in the moment and watch a ladybug crawl across a leaf and take to the sky.

The studio's other trademarks -- richly detailed backdrops and sounds, strong, brave, young characters, and hugely imaginative storytelling -- are evident in classic works like Grave of theFireflies (1988), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Spirited Away (2002).

Their latest is the beautiful, gentle The Secret World of Arrietty, directed by first-timer Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The legendary Hayao Miyazaki co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced.

The new movie is based on Mary Norton's 1952 novel The Borrowers, which was previously adapted to the big screen in 1997 as a visual effects-ridden, live-action comedy.

The Secret World of Arrietty couldn't be more different, or more refreshing. It's even gentler than Miyazaki's last outing, Ponyo (2009).

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 sugarcube and a piece of tissue. Unfortunately one of the full-size human "beans" spots her.

But this "bean" is different. He's Shawn (voiced by David Henrie), a sad, sickly boy that has come to stay with his aunt and her snooping housekeeper Hara (brilliantly voiced by Carol Burnett).

Shawn and Arrietty's blooming friendship is jeopardized by 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.

Even the way water is poured -- in large drops -- in this tiny world shows the care and attention that went into the movie.

Burnett is the movie's unexpected secret, however. She throws herself into the loony Hara and comes up with some big laughs, creating a memorable villain.

Indeed, the movie is so serene and patient that 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.

Note: For some reason, an entirely different voice cast -- including Saoirse Ronan and Mark Strong -- was recorded for the UK version (see the trailer here), as if US viewers were completely unable to understand British. Hopefully viewers will get to see all the versions on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Buy Poster

Trailer | Book

With: (voices) Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett
Written by: Keiko Niwa and Hayao Miyazaki, based on the novel by Mary Norton
Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
MPAA Rating: G
Running Time: 94 minutes
Date: February 17, 2012