DVD Corner

The Secret World Of Arrietty Blu-ray Review

“The Secret World Of Arrietty” is another Studio Ghibli gem.

Based on the classic book “The Borrowers,” “The Secret World Of Arrietty” revoles around a miniature sized family who borrow items from their neighboring normal sized human beings to survive. The bulk of the story involves the daily adventures of the family and tiny Arrietty’s friendship with a sick human boy named Shawn. There’s also a key subplot about the family trying to avoid being detected from humans as they fear they are dangerous.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that “The Secret World Of Arrietty” isn’t your average animated film. There’s no comedic relief character, there’s no fast paced story, and there’s very little action. Instead, we get a fairly mellow, touching character centric tale.

The charm of ‘Arrietty’ lies in the way the story is told through the perspective of this pint sized family. Through these characters eyes, we see our world from their point-of-view. Whether the charactera are embarking on a journey for a sugar cube or avoiding bugs, this day-in-the-life approach to storytelling really captures the viewer’s imagination.

Of course, I couldn’t do this review without mentioning the fantastic animation. The character models may be pretty standard, but the environments are incredibly detailed and gorgeous. No frame is wasted in this movie.

Summary: In an age where chaotic and frantic animated films and shows rule, the quiet “The Secret World Of Arrietty” is a refreshing change of pace. A must see film for all ages.

Video/Audio:

For cinema fans, it’s always a treat when a Studio Ghibli film is released on Blu-ray and I’m happy to say that ‘Arrietty’ looks phenomenal in 1.85:1 1080p. Not only do the colors look crystal clear, but you really get to see how much work is put into each frame in hi-def.

The Blu-ray disc contains English and Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD tracks. Personally, I’m not a fan of the English track as the new song inclusions and Bridgit Mendler’s voice work for Arrietty is medicore at best. The original Japanese audio track is definitely the way to go here as the voice acting is outstanding.

Extras:
* DVD Copy.
* Disney trailers.
* Bridgit Mendler’s “Summertime” music video and Cecile Corbel’s “Arrietty’s Song” music video.
* “The Making Of Summertime”- Bridgit talks about how the song came about and how it became attached to the film.
* A whopping 14 minutes of trailers and TV spots.
* Original Japanese Storyboards.

May 22, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Studio Ghibli, The Secret World Of Arrietty Blu-ray Review