So, three weeks too late, I finally saw "The Secret World of Arrietty", which I really should have gone and seen opening weekend, as I heard it got an excellent reception, not to mention it would have done a tiny little part to help out Lassetter and Ghibli with bringing more of these great films stateside (and, of course, other quality foreign animation theatrically). Well, my little sister and I just went to see it. There were 6 people in the theater including us, which really isn't surprising considering this is... what, the movie's third weekend?

I kept feeling this sense of wonder while watching the movie like I'd never felt before with the others from the studio, and I had to keep asking myself "Is the movie really this good?" Well, it's a great movie, to be sure, but it's not better than the likes of "Princess Mononoke", "Spirited Away", or "Howl's Moving Castle" in my mind. (Though, I really did enjoy it more than "Ponyo", which is also a great film but kind of lacks gravity.) It only hit me as I was exiting the theater: that was the first Ghibli movie I'd seen on the big screen. Every other movie I'd seen after it was released in the US on home media. I didn't even get to see "Ponyo" back when that was released theatrically (and I was still living in Philly at the time, so there HAD to have been at least ONE theater in that forsaken city playing it.)

So, if you've never seen a movie by the studio on the silver screen yet, you really should see this before it gets taken out. It's so much easier to notice the awesome amount of detail that went into the backgrounds or the animation of the characters. Even more amazing is that, while 98% of the movie takes place inside one (rather big) house out in the countryside, there's a myriad of great locations within it, from the perspective of the "Borrowers", as well as the human "Beans". I don't think I was very old when "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" was in theaters, so I don't remember seeing it, but I can liken it to seeing "A Bug's Life" theatrically, where you get to see this entirely new perspective, and the wonder of seeing everyday objects used in such inventive ways. (If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting the waterpark "Sesame Place" near Philadelphia, then going to "Twiddlebug Land" is also a similar feeling, only with more immersion, since you can't just take 100 steps that-a-way and end up in normal-sized Sesame Street.) [link]

Long story short, seeing a film by this most beloved of studios on a giant screen is a real treat, and if you're a fan of the other movies or even animation in general, this is a must-see if you haven't already gone and seen it. And yes, I know the movie is only WRITTEN by Miyazaki, so I feel kind of bad comparing it to stuff like "Mononoke" or "Howl", since it's directed by a first-time director. But this guy does an excellent job with it.

I'm not reading the book, though, because books are for losers. And there's no way in hell you're making me watch the live-action adaptation they made before this new one... [link]