The Secret World of Arrietty

As parents we sometimes think we know it all… everything our children are doing, saying, learning, watching. Unfortunately, it isn’t always so. When I opened my email to find an invitation to attend a screening of the new Disney movie “The Secret World of Arrietty” I thought, this would be a cute movie for my kids. Little did I know that my kids were already well aware of the movie and had been dying to see it. Based on the book, The Borrowers, the movie invites you into the world of the tiny people who live in our homes and “borrow” the things they need to survive.

While I might have been the only parent not familiar with the book, I was incredibly impressed with the movie. If you are expecting your typical Disney movie, you might be disappointed. The animation was all done in Japan and the movie doesn’t look like a Cinderella or Snow White. In fact, watching the movie is like visiting a museum with stunning paintings and artwork. The film is so beautifully crafted, not only in the animation, but in the characters who are brought to life by the talented actors who voiced them.

Bridgit Mendler (who plays Teddy in “Good Luck Charlie”) is Arrietty, the tiny borrower who befriends Shawn (David Henrie of “Wizards of Waverly Place”), the Bean who lives in the house. The cast also includes Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as Arrietty’s parents, and Carol Burnett as the housekeeper who is forever trying to prove that little people really do exist.

The storyline follows the friendship between Arrietty and Shawn and how their relationship ends up being both a blessing and a curse. These two misfits both learn what it’s like to feel different and that it doesn’t matter what size we are, people all need the same things: to feel safe and to be loved.

The movie is rated “G” so you can take the entire family. I brought my 9 year old, Amanda, and the first thing she said as we were walking out of the theater is that she wanted to see it again. What a beautiful film… Disney, you did a fabulous job!

The Secret World of Arrietty opens in theaters everyone on February 17th!

I was invited to a special screening of “The Secret World of Arrietty”. I was not compensated in any way or asked to write about the movie. All opinions are my own.