The Secret World of Arrietty (2012)
91%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 12 wins & 6 nominations
Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli’s reputation.
If you’re looking for a movie that’s like a warm hug on a rainy day, then The Secret World of Arrietty is the perfect choice. This charming animated film is a fresh take on The Borrowers, with beautiful artwork that will make you feel like you’re in a magical world. The story is sweet and simple, but it’s full of heart and will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Plus, who doesn’t love the idea of tiny people living in our world? It’s like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but cuter and without the danger of getting eaten by a giant ant. So grab some popcorn, snuggle up under a blanket, and get ready to be transported to a world of wonder and whimsy.
Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,
Distributor
Walt Disney
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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Language(s):Japanese
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Country of origin:Japan
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2012 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2012
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, Moises Arias, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom, written by Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa, Karey Kirkpatrick, G-rated, fantasy, adventure, anime, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Elliott, Ryan Gilbey, Kate Muir, Deborah Young, Ben Sachs, Sara Michelle Fetters, Matt Brunson, Richard Propes, Julian Lytle, Leslie Combemale, Koda Kazar, produced by Toshio Suzuki, Walt Disney, The Secret World of Arrietty, Arrietty, Homily, Shawn, Pod, Hara, Spiller, tiny teenager, suburban home, human hosts, friendship, danger, family-friendly, soulful depth, Studio Ghibli’s reputation, visually lush, refreshingly free, anchored with soulful depth, Mary Norton’s classic The Borrowers, animated artwork, adults enchanted, children gripped, highest grossing Japanese film, Animation of the Year award, heartwarming story, gorgeous soundtrack, high attention to visual detail, environmental allegory, intelligent discussion on evolution, suspense, fantasy story, realistic, charming, slow attentive study, oasis of calm, childhood and nature, disturbing adult elements, gentle, outstandingly humourless, uncomplicated tale of adventure and friendship, strange environment, old school filmmaking
Worldwide gross: $149,411,550
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $192,625,020
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 719
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 21,006,000
US/Canada gross: $19,587,032
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,252,080
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,333
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,446,395
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $8,310,850
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,003
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $23,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $29,652,162
Production budget ranking: 1,162
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $15,967,689
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $147,005,169
ROI to date (est.): 322%
ROI ranking: 433
Amy Poehler – Homily – Voice
David Henrie – Shawn – Voice
Will Arnett – Pod – Voice
Carol Burnett – Hara – Voice
Moises Arias – Spiller – Voice
Director(s)
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom
Writer(s)
Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa, Karey Kirkpatrick
Producer(s)
Toshio Suzuki
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
12 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (152) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (144) | Rotten (8)
It’s very pretty (plus a song that is like a gumdrop melting in your ear). Girls may enjoy the sweet, rather wistful story more than most boys.
December 8, 2014
David Elliott
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
What is so bewitching about the mostly static backgrounds in Arrietty is that they can be oxygenated at will by the smallest instance of judiciously placed movement, such as a single fluttering ladybird or a pair of jaunty butterflies in the foreground.
December 8, 2014
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Arrietty is a fresh take on Mary Norton’s classic The Borrowers, with animated artwork that will have adults enchanted and children gripped.
December 8, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The fresh and simple story will win its share of young fans, though it lacks the disturbing adult elements might have attracted older audiences.
January 7, 2013
Deborah Young
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
[The film] pulses with feeling for childhood and nature and develops a surprising amount of suspense considering it takes place around a single suburban home.
January 7, 2013
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
This divine hand-drawn animated adventure took my breath away on more than one occasion, and by the time it came to an end all I wanted to do was run up to the projection booth and make the theatre start it over from the beginning.
March 17, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
An oasis of calm in the normally hyperactive world of toon entertainment.
September 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
If you’ve never found yourself watching a Studio Ghibli film, then you owe it to yourself to do so.
September 22, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Children will very much entertained by all that is going on here. It has enough fun and comedy along with a great sense of adventure through the film.
January 11, 2020 | Rating: B+
Julian Lytle
Ignorant Bliss
The movie is a charming and slow attentive study of a friendship that teaches two budding youths, albeit of varying sizes, to learn trust, choose fearlessly and keep open hearts.
July 29, 2019
Leslie Combemale
Cinema Siren
Sometimes it is good to just sit back and have a calming slice of life story.
January 18, 2019
Koda Kazar
Freakin Awesome Network
So grounded that it makes its premise seem almost entirely plausible, and it makes it seem like even the smallest childhood fantasies might be real.
November 4, 2018 | Rating: 9/10
Johnny Gayzmonic
Fanboys of the Universe…
Plot
Fourteen-year-old Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler, Saoirse Ronan, and Mirai Shida) and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items that they borrow from the house’s human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of The Secret World of Arrietty includes Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, and Moises Arias.
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