Kari-gurashi no Arietti 2010

Steven Snyder, TIME Magazine: Unlike most Ghibli escapes that liberate us from reality, Arrietty brings the same magic to the mundane, elevating the ordinary confines of daily life into sumptuous surprises Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Yonebayashi is faithful to the studio's signature look and feel, but the jewel-like colors and painterly splendor of his environments are distinctively personal and presented with disarming modesty. Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: While it doesn't offer much in the way of 'sophisticated' content for adults, it brings something much more valuable, really: genuine aesthetic bliss. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Studio Ghibli and Arrietty have a way of taking you where you may not expect, whether you're scrambling through rooms as large as canyons or clambering into the safety of an outstretched hand, a simple gesture that says it all. Read more

Sam Adams, Time Out: It's one of few animated fairy tales to genuinely transport the audience into their world and, in the process, let us see our own with fresh awe and respect. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Even when making movies for small children, Studio Ghibli produces stories that are more emotionally sophisticated, and less philosophically polarized, than most adult fare. Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: A marvel of image and color, its old-fashioned pen-and-ink frames vividly bringing to life the world of children's author Mary Norton's "The Borrowers." Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The film flatters young moviegoers' awareness of deeper matters while delivering just enough enchantment to beguile both them and their parents. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: [The film] pulses with feeling for childhood and nature and develops a surprising amount of suspense considering it takes place around a single suburban home. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: It's lovely, both in spirit and in its simple, supple, hand-drawn visual allure. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The Secret World of Arrietty is a marvelously captivating animated feature about very tiny people and the full-scale world they inhabit. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: "The Secret World of Arrietty" is a sweet world indeed. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The result is a dreamy, soft-edged hybrid, equally interested in observing raindrops and the worries of a race of minuscule beings. Read more

Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: The fresh and simple story will win its share of young fans, though it lacks the disturbing adult elements might have attracted older audiences. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Beautiful, gentle and pure - but not without elements of genuine menace - it will make believers out of adults and children alike. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: It's an enjoyable and attractive-looking film, but a little of that "Speed Racer" energy wouldn't have been such a bad thing. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: The visual details are inventive, and the animation - particularly the colors - is lovely. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Like the ornate dollhouse that plays a part, "Arrietty" is lovely and well-appointed, but filled with only what you bring to it. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: "The Secret World of Arrietty'' is a feast for the eyes that will engage the entire family. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: When Shawn, a sickly boy sent to live in the house before he has heart surgery, sees Arrietty, does he squash her like a bug? Dear reader, he is enchanted. As are we. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: What unfolds is part adventure, part fairy tale, part star-crossed romance (she fits in his palm; can it get more doomed?). And the overall sum is enchantment. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Ghibli films have a fantastic visual style and tone all their own, and first-time director Hiromasa Yonebayashi adapts Mary Norton's 1952 children's classic "The Borrowers" according to the house rules. Read more

Jody Mitori, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "The Secret World of Arrietty" proves that imagination still matters amid all the clamor. Read more

Ian Buckwalter, The Atlantic: Yonebayashi gives Arrietty an excellent sense of balance, with the adventure aspects of the story, which feel legitimately dangerous providing well-paced contrast the film's more placid moments. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: The Secret World of Arrietty is sweet fun, an astute match of exquisite style and small content. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Whether it's an expansive view of a sun-dappled meadow or a close-up of our diminutive heroine making her way across a lawn while hiding under a leaf, the Ghibli artists show us the world the way Matisse once painted it. Read more

David Jenkins, Time Out: A gorgeous, rounded piece of craft, where the subtle, almost tactile textures of the characters and backdrops allow you to appreciate this moving, whimsical tale as if it were real. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Arrietty offers an opportunity to be carried away by a whimsical adventure, set to a lovely score by French musician Cecile Corbel. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: With its lush colors, imaginative view of ordinary objects and meticulously crafted miniature civilization, it transports viewers to an enchanting alternate storybook reality. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: Old-school, mostly in a good way. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: The otherworldliness that is Miyazaki's trademark has been tamped down into naturalistic textures, but the look is still as meticulous and confident as the master's handiwork. Read more

Amy Joyce, Washington Post: This gorgeous little movie is sure to be beloved by your little people, who may discover what it means to find a magical beauty in the things we can't altogether see. Read more