As everyone knows, Studio Ghibli is Japan's magic kingdom, a powerhouse that's consistently wowed Japanese and Western audiences alike with its stunning, heartfelt visions. Nothing brings back memories of childhood faster than a Ghibli movie and Arrietty possibly more than most. Its source material - Mary Norton's The Borrowers - has been a childhood favourite for generations.
Arrietty may not be quite as cheese-dreamy as Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away but, judging by this new clip, it should be just as captivating for human beans of all ages.
Unusually, Ghibli has gone to the trouble of using two English-language voicecasts. The UK and Irish version here features the talents of Saoirse Ronan as Arrietty herself, the tiny Borrower, with Mark Strong voicing Pod, a role played by Ian Holm in the '90s BBC version.
Olivia Coleman, Phyllida Law and Geraldine McEwan also lend their voices to the story of a tiny young girl's friendship with the giant boy who's newly arrived in the household above the Borrower burrow. It's directed by long-time Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Click below for a closer look at some beautiful stills from the film and an exclusive look at early Arrietty artwork.
Looking forward to this Ghibli, however from the clip the older woman has very similar features to Sophie in Howl's Moving Castle, which I think's a bit of a shame.
Interesting concept nonetheless - always liked the idea of The Borrowers More
Posted by Jessica_ca_ca_ca at 14:34 on 28 July 2011 | Report This Post
Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Click below for a closer look at some beautiful stills from the film and an exclusive look at early Arrietty artwork.
