The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
Movie · 2010 · Fantasy, Animation, Family · 1h 34m · G · Japanese
Curator score: 8.0/10 (641.8K ratings)
Tagline: Discover a secret world within our own.
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 8.0/10
- IMDb: 7.6/10
- Letterboxd: 3.86/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
- Metacritic: 80
- TMDB: 7.7/10
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Production: Studio Ghibli, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Mitsubishi Shoji, dentsu, TOHO, Nippon Television Network Corporation
Cast: Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tomokazu Miura, Keiko Takeshita, Kirin Kiki, Shinobu Otake, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shin'ichi Hatori
Where to watch: Max
Curator Review
Verdict: A gentle, beautifully observed fantasy with exquisite miniature-world production design and a tender emotional core. It’s less plot-driven than mood-driven, but the film’s quiet suspense and warmth make it a standout family watch.
Best for: fans of lyrical animated fantasy; viewers who like cozy, nature-rich worlds; families looking for a calm, non-cynical adventure; Studio Ghibli completists; people who enjoy small-scale stories with big emotional texture
Skip if: you want fast pacing or constant action; you prefer broad comedy over delicate atmosphere; you need a high-stakes fantasy quest; you’re not in the mood for a soft, reflective family film
Overview: The Secret World of Arrietty is one of those animated films that makes the ordinary feel enchanted. Its pleasure comes from scale: pins, buttons, sugar cubes, and floorboards become sources of wonder and danger, and the film treats that tiny perspective with real seriousness. The result is intimate rather than epic, but never slight.
Worth noting: What lingers most is the atmosphere: lush gardens, sunlit interiors, and the sense of a hidden life existing just beneath the surface of a familiar house. The animation is meticulous, and the film’s quiet emotional register gives it a calm, wistful beauty. It’s especially strong when it leans into observation rather than explanation.
Bottom line: The story is simple, almost fragile, and that may leave some viewers wanting more momentum. But for audiences open to a slower rhythm, it’s a deeply charming and humane fantasy. It’s the kind of film that rewards attention to texture, gesture, and mood as much as plot.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- lauren: these short people out here calling themselves borrowers but you know what? they just be stealing
- ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗: arrietty’s bedroom!!!!! like that’s my aesthetic that’s what i want to achieve 🌿🌼🍄
- Holli: no bro you live in a society i live in the secret world of arrietty
- Morgan: imagine wanting to kill someone over stealing one sugar cube from your house per year… Borrowers are always welcome in my home
- ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗: and that’s on cottagecore
Recommended similar titles:
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988 · Fantasy, Animation, Family · 1h 26m · G · Curator 9.2/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
Shares the same sense of childlike wonder, domestic magic, and quiet communion with nature.
- Spirited Away (2001 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 2h 5m · PG · Curator 9.8/10 (4.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A richly imagined hidden world with a young heroine navigating danger, curiosity, and transformation.
- When Marnie Was There (2014 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 43m · PG · Curator 7.6/10 (358.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
For viewers drawn to delicate emotion, mystery, and a soft, reflective atmosphere.
- Ponyo (2008 · Animation, Fantasy, Family · 1h 40m · G · Curator 9.0/10 (1.4M ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
Another beautifully animated story where wonder, nature, and childhood perspective drive the experience.
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 2h 17m · PG · Curator 9.4/10 (338.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Whisper of the Heart (1995 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 51m · G · Curator 8.9/10 (539.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A gentle coming-of-age film with warmth, observation, and a strong sense of lived-in detail.
- The Red Turtle (2016 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 1h 21m · PG · Curator 8.0/10 (131.6K ratings))
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- Ernest & Celestine (2012 · Animation, Family, Crime · 1h 20m · PG · Curator 9.3/10 (82.2K ratings))
A tender story about friendship across a divide, with a similarly soft and humane tone.
- The Rescuers (1977 · Fantasy, Family, Animation · 1h 18m · G · Curator 5.0/10 (186.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus)
A classic miniature-adventure with resourceful tiny protagonists and a warm, old-fashioned charm.
- Stuart Little (1999 · Family, Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 24m · PG · Curator 1.8/10 (508.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
Shares the appeal of a small protagonist moving through a large, everyday world with wonder and peril.
- James and the Giant Peach (1996 · Family, Animation, Adventure · 1h 19m · PG · Curator 5.3/10 (269.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus)
A whimsical, child-centered fantasy that balances oddity, danger, and imaginative production design.
- Coraline (2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 9.1/10 (3M ratings))
For viewers who like miniature worlds, domestic spaces turned uncanny, and a child’s-eye fantasy.
Topics: fantasy, animation, family, cozy, whimsical, coming-of-age, nature, gentle suspense, slice of life, lush visuals
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/the-secret-world-of-arrietty/51739
The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
Movie · 2010 · Fantasy, Animation, Family · 1h 34m · G · Japanese
Curator score: 8.0/10 (641.8K ratings)
Discover a secret world within our own.
Overview 14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.0/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.86/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 80
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Production Studio Ghibli, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Mitsubishi Shoji, dentsu, TOHO, Nippon Television Network Corporation
Cast Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tomokazu Miura, Keiko Takeshita, Kirin Kiki, Shinobu Otake, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shin'ichi Hatori
Curator Review
Verdict
A gentle, beautifully observed fantasy with exquisite miniature-world production design and a tender emotional core. It’s less plot-driven than mood-driven, but the film’s quiet suspense and warmth make it a standout family watch.
Best for
fans of lyrical animated fantasy
viewers who like cozy, nature-rich worlds
families looking for a calm, non-cynical adventure
Studio Ghibli completists
people who enjoy small-scale stories with big emotional texture
Skip if
you want fast pacing or constant action
you prefer broad comedy over delicate atmosphere
you need a high-stakes fantasy quest
you’re not in the mood for a soft, reflective family film
Overview
The Secret World of Arrietty is one of those animated films that makes the ordinary feel enchanted. Its pleasure comes from scale: pins, buttons, sugar cubes, and floorboards become sources of wonder and danger, and the film treats that tiny perspective with real seriousness. The result is intimate rather than epic, but never slight.
Worth noting
What lingers most is the atmosphere: lush gardens, sunlit interiors, and the sense of a hidden life existing just beneath the surface of a familiar house. The animation is meticulous, and the film’s quiet emotional register gives it a calm, wistful beauty. It’s especially strong when it leans into observation rather than explanation.
Bottom line
The story is simple, almost fragile, and that may leave some viewers wanting more momentum. But for audiences open to a slower rhythm, it’s a deeply charming and humane fantasy. It’s the kind of film that rewards attention to texture, gesture, and mood as much as plot.
Top Letterboxd reviews
lauren (3★) · 6980 likes
these short people out here calling themselves borrowers but you know what? they just be stealing
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (4★) · 4995 likes
arrietty’s bedroom!!!!! like that’s my aesthetic that’s what i want to achieve 🌿🌼🍄
Holli (3.5★) · 4204 likes
no bro you live in a society i live in the secret world of arrietty
Morgan (3.5★) · 3388 likes
imagine wanting to kill someone over stealing one sugar cube from your house per year… Borrowers are always welcome in my home
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (4★) · 3125 likes
and that’s on cottagecore
Recommended similar titles
1988 · Fantasy, Animation, Family · 1h 26m · G · Curator 9.2/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max
Shares the same sense of childlike wonder, domestic magic, and quiet communion with nature.
2001 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 2h 5m · PG · Curator 9.8/10 (4.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A richly imagined hidden world with a young heroine navigating danger, curiosity, and transformation.
2014 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 43m · PG · Curator 7.6/10 (358.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For viewers drawn to delicate emotion, mystery, and a soft, reflective atmosphere.
2008 · Animation, Fantasy, Family · 1h 40m · G · Curator 9.0/10 (1.4M ratings) · Where to watch: Max
Another beautifully animated story where wonder, nature, and childhood perspective drive the experience.
2013 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 2h 17m · PG · Curator 9.4/10 (338.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For its lyrical animation, sensitivity to nature, and emphasis on fleeting beauty.
1995 · Animation, Drama, Family · 1h 51m · G · Curator 8.9/10 (539.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A gentle coming-of-age film with warmth, observation, and a strong sense of lived-in detail.
2016 · Animation, Drama, Fantasy · 1h 21m · PG · Curator 8.0/10 (131.6K ratings)
A wordless, contemplative animated film that values mood, texture, and natural imagery.
2012 · Animation, Family, Crime · 1h 20m · PG · Curator 9.3/10 (82.2K ratings)
A tender story about friendship across a divide, with a similarly soft and humane tone.
1977 · Fantasy, Family, Animation · 1h 18m · G · Curator 5.0/10 (186.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus
A classic miniature-adventure with resourceful tiny protagonists and a warm, old-fashioned charm.
1999 · Family, Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 24m · PG · Curator 1.8/10 (508.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Shares the appeal of a small protagonist moving through a large, everyday world with wonder and peril.
1996 · Family, Animation, Adventure · 1h 19m · PG · Curator 5.3/10 (269.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus
A whimsical, child-centered fantasy that balances oddity, danger, and imaginative production design.
2009 · Animation, Family, Fantasy · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 9.1/10 (3M ratings)
For viewers who like miniature worlds, domestic spaces turned uncanny, and a child’s-eye fantasy.
Topics
fantasy, animation, family, cozy, whimsical, coming-of-age, nature, gentle suspense, slice of life, lush visuals
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