studio ghibli rules!

we love taking wren out to the movies.  there is nothing like seeing the joy on her face while munching popcorn and getting swept away by the big screen.  occasionally, we see a kid's movie that is so good, it sweeps us away right along with her.   

The Secret World of Arrietty is one of those films.  it is based on Mary Norton's 1952 novel The Borrowers and has been brought to a US audience by Studio Ghibli (Ponyo, Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service). the story follows a family of borrowers that measure only a few inches tall and live under the floor boards of a normal-sized family's home in Tokyo.  their lives consist of taking only items necessary for survival and making sure to never be seen by the human beings. while on her first borrowing mission, young Arrietty is spotted by a boy staying in the house.  the movie then follows the family and the consequences of human curiosity.

what i like most about this movie is the space.  it is not filled with tons of dialogue and non-stop silly jokes like most kid's movies.  there are many moments of silence shared by the characters - which leave room to appreciate the unbelievable natural world that the animators have created and listen to the ambient sounds of that world.

although there are no flashy action sequences, and the pace is slow, wren was mesmerized from start to finish (we've actually already gone to see it twice). this is a total win for me because i get to kick back and enjoy the amazingly beautiful animation while getting whisked away by a very special story. not to mention the popcorn with peanut m&m's mixed in. thank me later.

xo/jasper hearts wren