The latest charmer from Japan’s fabled Studio Ghibli, “The Secret World of Arrietty,’’ weds its gorgeous, old-school animation to a beloved children’s classic about a family of very tiny humans.
The latest of many big- and small-screen versions of Mary Norton’s 1952 novel “The Borrowers’’ keeps the original English setting, but adds some Japanese references and an American voice cast, provided as usual by Ghibli’s longtime American distributor, Disney.
Though he handed over the direction to Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the legendary director Hayao Miyazaki (an Oscar winner for “Spirited Away”) and his American adapter, Karey Kirkpatrick, have infused this durable tale with Miyazaki’s trademark love of nature and ecological concerns.
Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) is a spirited 10-year-old who lives with her resourceful father and nervous mother (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler, married parents in real life, too) in the walls of an English county house.
She and her family are among the last of a race of “Borrowers’’ who lead a secret existence that depends on pilfered items that full-size humans won’t miss, like sugar cubes and thimbles — and avoiding perils such as house cats that dwarf them.
But one day, during a foraging expedition with her father, Arrietty is intrigued to discover that an ailing youngster named Shawn (David Henrie) has come to stay in the mostly vacant house.
Shawn eventually notices Arrietty, the two become friends and he tries to help. He gives her family an elaborate dollhouse in which to live.
But his assistance accidentally alerts his cranky Japanese housekeeper (voiced by a very funny Carol Burnett) to the existence of the Borrowers. They’re forced to relocate when she starts resorting to pest-control measures.
Studio Ghibli is at the forefront of keeping traditional hand-drawn animation alive — and it works well even for a story that’s less fantastical than Miyazaki’s signature works.
Many animated and live-action films have dealt with miniature humans, but few have depicted a sheer sense of scale as effectively as this one.
“The Secret World of Arrietty’’ is a feast for the eyes that will engage the entire family.