What I Watched: The Secret World of Arrietty

I have already seen two anime movies on the big screen this year which breaks my previous record of one.  Fullmetal Alchemist and the Sacred Star of Milos was a fun, adrenaline rush of a movie full of characters, situations, and violence in a world I loved visiting again (though I'm sorry to say I just couldn't like the new voice for Al; sorry Ms. Whitehead).  The Secret World of Arrietty was a lovely, thoughtful, slow-burn of a movie with plenty of time taken to appreciate landscape, architecture, vegetation, weather, and the way old ladies and sick boys move.  Both were full of adventure and tinged with sadness, but the worlds and audiences were very different.

One thing that struck me as the very young children around me in Arrietty were getting restless (approximately the 30 second mark) is that I don't really see how this movie could capture their attention.  Three-year-olds just don't care about old ladies moving in real time.  They probably can't appreciate slow, loving pan shots across amazing gardens and houses with stained glass windows.  (At least not your average kids in the United states.)  I think the kids over five definitely did better.  Or at least they didn't keep wandering the aisles and falling into the back of my chair or asking questions or just chattering or sneezing enthusiastically or burping or farting regularly.  The place I sat was quite a bit more lively than most of the movie.  Sigh.

Miyazaki did the screenplay, so I think it had his usual 10-minute chunks, which seemed to help with the older young kids, but I'm pretty sure all the lovely garden and exterior house shots were aimed squarely at the grownups.  That sense of slightly melancholy longing and nostalgia present in a lot of Miyazaki's Ghibli movies was strong here.  I kind of love that about these films.  In America, the trend is to add "adult humor" that will go over the kids' heads to keep the adults conscious and not wishing for a long nap.  Ghibli uses sounds and silence, beauty and slowness.  I think some kids can appreciate the beauty and care, too, even if the nostalgia part doesn't connect with them.  That's why these films are called All Ages films, I suppose.

I'll be going to the theater to see this again once it's released for real because I want to vote with my dollars for more lovely, engaging movies like this one to hit the big screen.  I will, of course, be going to the matinee showing, which is cheaper, but I will enjoy it every bit as much as the folks who pay more.  And I will hopefully go at a time when I will not be treated to a bodily function symphony in addition to the beautiful soundtrack.  Maybe late afternoon?  See you there . . .