The Secret World of Arrietty Movie Trailer
MPAA Rating: GGenre: Animation/Adventure
Runtime: 95 minutes
Starring: voices of Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias
Studio: Studio Ghibli (Released by Disney in the US)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa
Release Date: February 17, 2012
The Secret World of Arrietty - Official Synopsis
Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Ponyo) comes The Secret World of Arrietty, an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series The Borrowers.
Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of The Secret World of Arrietty was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom.
About The Borrowers
The Borrowers is a renowned children's book series by Mary Norton written in the 1950s. The Borrowers has won several awards including: a Carnegie Medal winner, a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award book, and an ALA Distinguished Book. The series will enchant children about ages 7-12, and is also a good read-aloud chapter series. In the book Games with Books, author Peggy Kaye lists The Borrowers among the 28 best children's books and offers games and activities parents and teachers can use to make the reading experience even more fun and educational.
Watching the animated movie can now be added to the list of entertaining and enriching activities related to reading the book. Kids can compare and contrast the movie with the story and characters in the book. Also, kids can compare the book and animated movie to the live action film The Borrowers that came out in the '90s (Compare Prices). Ask kids questions about the differences between the plots, characters and settings. Which one do they like the best and why? If there were little people living under your house today, ask kids: what would their names be? And, how would their little house look?
