very interesting. I have to see it now!!

My first Bum Review, and a great one at that. Ear pull FTW!

Welcome to the Bum side, we have CHANGE!!!!!!

Based off of Doug's review, I liked it when it was called The Secret of Nimh.

Actually, it's based on the Borrowers, by Mary Norton. The book was written almost 20 years before the book that the secret of nimh is based on was written

The Littles is another anime based off The Borrowers. Really lame DiC dub.

Actually The Littles had it's own book series which the anime was based off of, but it's still based off The Borrowers in the end.

The concept also sounds like The Bromeliad Trilogy (1989-1990) by Terry Pratchett, about the tiny Nomes living unseen alongside humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/The_Nome_Trilogy

Also I need to add that from all versions of the borrowers this movie is the most close to the book.
Principally the end who don't end and whe wonder what happened whit the characters.

True. They are two completely different books, with semi-similar ideas.

I going to take my nieces to this movie. We love Ghibli's studio work. Thanks man.

Oh BTW pause Doug's review at 0:18 at the right moment he looks stoned! I can't tell the differences between him and the Bum. LOL

Isn't it "The Secret WORLD of Arrietty"?

Yeah, you're right. It is the secret World of Arrietty.

Another great work from the man who brought us Ponyo, ay doug?

Ironic that last week NC reviewed a Miyasaki movie and now Doug is reviewing a Miyasaki movie (kinda).

that's the joke.

And let's not forget he referenced Tenchi in the Pasta Bra movie.

That's not what "ironic" means. At all.

hahaha, oh The Borrowers.

damn i cant remember what JO said about this movie but if i guess correctly dougs take is more jo's than nashs which is funny would think it was the other way
FYI that guy who voiced the main kids name was David Henrie.....and he sucked (im sorry but he was bad in my opinion)

Am I the only one who sees the title worded as "The Secret LIFE of Arrietty" at the top of the page? Strange, as the title in the video itself is correct.

In case Doug didn't know this, Shawn's narration at the end of the Disney dub (where he talks about how he returned to the neighborhood the following summer) has no equivalent in the original Japanese version. Thus, the question of whether Sho/Shawn gets better or even survives the heart surgery is left completely up in the air. Perhaps they thought this kind of uncertainty would be too grim for American audiences?

Really? I like that ending a lot better. It definitely would have been more powerful. :)

I am going probably see this on dvd but looks fun.

It sounds like you're about ready to start reading some Bradbury, Doug. Check out The Illustrated Man: "The Concrete Mixer" to find out the result of your query.

I didn't know Shredder and Splinter could do such amazing animation.

Doug the scenario you described (a kid discovers a secret and shows it to the world) happened in a movie called The BFG (Big Friendly giant)

http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/The_BFG

Its based on a Rhoald Dahl book.

lol it said Oroku Saki in the cast list :P

First to critique your critique - I wish you had said Human Beans instead of Human Beings as that's what they called humans.

The character who'd played the boy Sho is David Henrie the eldest son on Wizards of Waverly Place.

There actually could have been a great climax scene, as the book had one. In the book the Clock Family (they lived under the clock) could not go through the grate. Which in itself made Arriety's first Borrowing less as she could go outside in the movie. In the book she could only look outside, but never go.

In the end the exterminators actually start taking the floorboards apart and also release a ferret to kill them. The boy (Sho in the movie) uses what little strength he has to break the grate right before they are to be killed or caught, thus allowing them to escape. Why they thought that wouldn't be a great climax, I don't know.

As to Doug talking about why not letting human beans learn about them well in the third book a husband and wife discover them and want to use them in a circus/carnival atmosphere.

About why they don't show the dangers, it's because the first book is all about setting up the dangers. The other four sequels go about and explain what happens to them and deals with all the difficulties of being outside, so in this case I agree with the film. It wasn't supposed to show the dangers it was only supposed to make us be aware of them.

The book also does a much better job about the "extinction" of the Borrowers. The movie just touches on it, while the book explains how they see it. Arriety was raised to beleive that there are only about a hundred or so human beans as they are so huge they'll eat up everything and Borrowers only need a few to get stuff from. The boy shows her books about human population and the world, then asks her how many Borrowers she knows. She lists all the cousins and uncles and others she can think of, but then he asks if she's seen them, she admits that she hadn't and he tells her their all dead and that her and her family are all that's left and she'll be the last one in the world as she's the youngest. Now that is powerful stuff. The movie didn't do it justice in my opinion.

In my opinion, the movie was good and I enjoyed it, both as a fan of film, animation and Borrowers, but they could have done it much better.

Great Review Doug.

But I loved this movie for what it was. I went with a friend who's not a huge Studio Ghibli fan, and he enjoyed it too.

And as for Doug's ending issue, it's a problem...but not a huge one. It gives you a reason to sit through the credits, which can be hard with a movie. I mean, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind did it well, and that's a Miyazaki movie too. If it helps, I only thought it was an issue with Whisper of the Heart, particularly because the last line was so awkward. >_>

All-in-all, I'm glad you and Doug liked this movie. And I wish more people would see it, as it deserves the attention...

Yeah, I agree mostly, though I've never seen Whisper of the Heart. The ending credits tend to be mostly voiceless with the music going over them so you sit and watch a sort of musical epilogue of what happened in the movie. In Kiki's Delivery Service you have sound at the end, but not much. In Howl's Moving Castle all you really need left is to see how happy everything is again, watching the characters enjoy the good, happy ending they all get all without saying a word.

Sometimes you don't need words.

Unfortunately the Idea of people protecting dangerous species are not popular in 1952 wen the book was write.
However prejudice and violent mobs destroying anything that was a little different from the norm was a trend in the 50's.

Correcting, the show based in the American book "the littles" from the 60's, based in the britsh book "the borrowers" from the 50's.

"IT'S KINDA LIKE TWILIGHT EXCEPT WE GIVE A CRAP!"
God I love that line, cause it's so true! xD

Even if this movie has some flaws, it's still better than Twilight. Of course, ANYTHING is better than Twilight. xD

I can't wait to see this movie! I absolutely love Miyazaki's work and while this may not have been directed by him, it still looks worth watching! Now I wanna go watch my Miyazaki films and buy more.

I read The Borrowers when I was younger and I really enjoyed the book! All of the characters who were essential to the overall plot were memorable and from what you say of the movie, Doug, it sounds like they got the characterizations pretty right. I may have to check this movie out!

I really love Studip Ghibli and Miyazaki films! :D And I always wanted to see that movie. I think I'll go try to see it tomorrow

Loved the Bum Review, loved the Doug review.

Only thing I feel different on is David Henrie, the VA for the boy. I really felt like he was bored when he was saying a lot of his lines. He had his moments, sure, but on the whole he just felt bland.

I'll wait for the DVD. I despise American dubbing.

Same hear.

It is a cultural thing. In Japan it is the value of the journey not the ending that matters. So, the ending is usually not the best part of a japanese movie compared with western films were it tries to be memorable.

For me, The Secret World of Arrietty was a complete waste of time. By far my least favorite Studio Ghibli movie. I would call this a cliched Miyazaki movie, but AFAIK Miyazaki wasn't actually very involved with the production.

Benzai reviewed it, JO reviewed it, Doug reviewed it.

After some thinking, I decided to import a R2 DVD instead.

Critic, Shame on you. There is movie about alien which gets fame...well sort of.
And you reviewed it.

Howard, the fucking duck.

IO like a lot of animes like this but I'm not sure if I'll want to see Arrietty because as you said it is that old story archetype of a kid makes friend with something from a secret world. I prefer the ones that go all out and have full on worlds like Spirited away!
I still might see it someday on TV or if I find like a cheap DVD in like a used movie bin!

Was anyone else reminded of "The Littles"?

Yeah, that tv show, whit the same story, same characters based in the same Book.

Also there a live action series and a live action movie.

I am psyched to see the movie- I really enjoyed the Borrowers books when I was in fourth grade, and though I like it, I always felt like there was something missing from the live action "The Borrowers."

And no, in the book, they don't give stuff back. However, I seem to recall them feeling that they have the right to take stuff as it is their house as well.

I need to read it again; I remember liking it, although it made me start leaving small objects on much higher shelves than before.

really great review, loved this version, yes it was sort of short at points and was light on some details but i found it to be a really nice adaptation with some really stunning visuals. if you want to watch another good adaptation of the book, one that dives more into the world of the borrowers and the dangers of being a borrower, there is, i beleave it was a BBC miniceries, put out in 1992 with ian holm that was verry good, i watched it as a kid and loved it, still love it, theres also a sequil to it which also follows the books well, never read the book but it seemed to follow well. also it would be awsome if you could review the john goodman borrowers movie for an NC vid. would prob be really funny bc that movie is so awfle. you could possably do a good old vs new between this miayazaki version and the 1992 miniseries version. would make for some good comparsins.