The Secret World of Arrietty, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Studio Ghibli, released in the U.S. by GKIDS, 2010.
Summary- This anime film adaptation of The Borrowers by Mary Norton shrinks viewers down to the size of a mouse, where one of the last families of miniature people (called Borrowers, for they only borrow a little) is still living under a human household in the countryside. It’s a big dangerous world out there, and Arrietty, ever the adventurer, embraces it with only a sewing pin for a sword. Her bravery falters momentarily when she is discovered by Shawn, a human boy, but slowly, yet surely they begin to explore a different sort of adventure together: friendship.
Target Audience – The target audience range for this movie is ages 7-12. In technical terms of content, the MPAA has rated The Secret World of Arrietty “G” for General Audiences. That being said, while it might not be unsuitable for younger viewers in an explicit manner, there are still some heavier tones and more mature moments in this film that are likely to go over a younger viewer’s head. For example, Shawn only visits the house in the countryside because he is ill and in need of rest while awaiting surgery. He confesses that he has felt scared to Arrietty and has thought about his own possible death. Arrietty also finds herself in many life-threatening situations, whether she’s running from a cat or a crow, or trying not to fall a long way down. It’s important to recognize that these scenes may also be frightening for young children, so please use your best judgement with individuals if you’re considering who you’d like to show this film to.
Strengths and Weaknesses– The emotional intelligence and themes of empathy and bravery really shine in this film. The same “more mature” elements that might preclude it from those 6 and under or even be considered a weakness, (like Shawn contemplating his disease or Arrietty standing up for herself in a scary world quite literally much bigger than she is) illustrate how even very different people are all dealing with the same sorts of feelings, even if their lives are different. When our lives intersect, the film seems to say, is when we can help each other and grow stronger together. It’s okay to have some sad or even upsetting moments in children’s movies (or other media), because those are learning opportunities and bittersweet experiences that can be applied to real life.
Creative Uses– This film can be paired with the book it is based on (The Borrowers by Mary Norton) in order to do a compare and contrast Venn Diagram exercise with it. Ask children to examine what is the same and what is different to each – plot points, characters, order of events, setting, etc. You could also make a shoebox “Borrower House”, for in the movie we see Arrietty’s family repurpose many common found objects into furniture. Providing children with a shoe box they can fill with spool tables, crayon box beds, drawings, decorative leaves, acorns, sticks, or stickers, etc, allow them to design a house for a paper doll “Borrower”.
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