The Secret World of Arrietty

In an old house surrounded by a beautiful garden lives an old lady. Unbeknownst to her, a family of tiny occupants has built their lilliput home under the floorboards. At night, 14-year old Arrietta and her parents go on expeditions in order to acquire small nothings which they need, but which the occupants will never notice are gone: a sugar cube here, a tiny bit of tissue paper, a needle… The little family usually keep to themselves, as the outside world is rather big and full of mortal dangers - including human beings. One day, a young boy arrives at the house to visit his grandmother, and spots Arrietty in the garden. This fateful event will change both his and her lives forever.

The Secret World of Arrietty is an exquisite piece of Japanese animation from Ghibli, the studio that brought us Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Based on a script written by Hayao Miyazaki, the film was directed by the younger animation talent Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Our young heroine Arrietty is an adventurous spirit, with a strong thirst for life. Arrietty’s fascinating lilliput world is depicted with an amazing eye for details, transforming a familiar environment, the home, into a magical and exciting place. As in many Miyazaki films, there is more to the story than meets the eye. The film adopts a fairytale premise in order to delicately muse on the nature and shortness of life. The Secret World of Arrietty is an exciting magical fable with studio Ghibli's signature emotional depth. Remember to bring a kleenex!

Miyazaki Hayao (b. 1941) is the highest respected director of animation films still living today. He has had a fruitful cooperation with Takahata Isao since 1971, and since 1985, they have run the famous Studio Ghibli from which he released his most famous films such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Ponyo (2008).