Ghibli’s 借りぐらしのアリエッティ (aka “The Secret World of Arietty”) being released in US!

31 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment

by madsilence in Japan, Movies, Uncategorized Tags: animated movies, anime, Disney, Hayao Miyazaki, new release, Studio Ghibli, The Secret World of Arietty, 借りぐらしのアリエッティ

I was so excited when I saw a friend post on Facebook this morning that the most recent Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli film, “The Secret World of Arietty” will be in theaters in the US in February of 2012!  I was lucky enough to see it in theaters in July of 2010, and I was blown away.  Here’s the Japanese trailer:

The story is based off the classic children’s novel “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton.  Essentially, the Borrowers are kobito, literally “tiny people,” who live by borrowing the things they need from humans.  They live under the floorboards or close to human’s houses so they can sneak in when no-one’s around to borrow what they need.  The main characters are Arietty and her family, the last remaining Borrower family in their area.  One day, while borrowing sugar from the house, Arietty is seen by the sick boy who’s come to visit the house for the summer.  What will happen now that a human has seen her?  The adventure begins!

Studio Ghibli films are always beautifully produced, but I thought that Arietty was even a step above their normal production.  The scenery from the garden around the house was exquisite… every leaf, flower and dew drop was so fresh and colorful that when you watch it on the big screen you truly feel you are the size of a Borrower, walking though the jungle of an overgrown garden.  The soundtrack was equally amazing – ethereal and quirky, performed by the immensely talented French singer and harpist Cecile Corbel.  I’m not one for buying movie soundtracks, but after I saw the movie I immediately went to the closest Tower Records and bought the “Kari-gurashi SONGBOOK” soundtrack, which has all of the best themes and songs from the movie on it.  Here’s the main theme:

Disney will be releasing Arietty in February.  Although I’m a die-hard subtitle fan, I’ve been really impressed by Disney’s translation and dubbing for the other Ghibli movies.  They bring in top-notch actors and really smooth out the dialogue while keeping close to the original meaning and feeling of the Japanese.  Translation of movies has got to be one of the hardest jobs ever – it’s not just language but a whole different set of cultural cues that you’re translating for another audience.  Arietty will be voiced by Bridget Mendler and supported by a great cast including Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler, and Will Arnet.

If you’re intrigued by the glimpse of Miyazaki and Ghibli’s world that you got from the Arietty trailer and don’t want to wait until next year to learn more, check out some of their other movies!  My favorites include:

Porco Rosso (紅の豚 Kurenai no Buta), the Casablanca-esque story of a mysteriously enchanted pig-cum-bounty hunter who swoops around the Adriatic saving school children and the hearts of beautiful cafe owners…

My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ Tonari no Totoro), a story of two little girls who move to a new house in the country with their father.  Strangely enough, the house is inhabited by an amazing array or spirits that can only be seen by children, including the large, fuzzy, and toothy monster called Totoro and his friend the Cat Bus.

Howl’s Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城 Hauru no Ugoku Shiro), based on the Diana Wynne Jones YA book of the same name, is a light tale of love and magic with a twist of Miyazaki’s anti-war messages…

I hope you guys will get as excited about Ghibli and Miyazaki as I am, it’s a great way to get introduced to Japanese culture and animation and find your next favorite movie!

~MS the Younger