Forget the 1992 BBC miniseries The Borrowers, or John Goodmanâs 1997 adaptation (if you havenât already) of Mary Nortonâs classic childrenâs book. Studio Ghibli presents a quietly compelling anime version of the story, written by Spirited Awayâs Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The film masterfully demonstrates the worldview of the borrowers via rapid pullback shots, their small stature fully realized when Arriettyâs mother gets trapped in a jar. The film is packed with special little detailsâlike when Arrietty uses a leaf as an umbrella and flies through the yard trying to avoid an entanglement with a grasshopperâand loud, comical, emotional outbursts by Arriettyâs worrisome mother and the cunning housekeeper. Despite the inherent dangers of Arriettyâs world, the landscape looks slightly like an impressionistic painting and the wind is always whistling through the trees. ![]()







