Studio Ghibli Fest features secret world of ‘Arrietty’

One of the events that I look forward to each year is the Studio Ghibli Fest, a collection of the best animated films from the vaunted Japanese production company.

The 2019 edition of the festival began in April with "Howl's Moving Castle," and it continues Sunday and Monday with Hiromasa Yonebayashi's 2010 film "The Secret World of Arrietty."

The film will screen in two different versions at three area locations: Regal Cinemas Northtown Mall and Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone Stadium, and AMC River Park Square. Sunday's 12:55 p.m. screenings will be dubbed, while Monday's 7 p.m. screenings will be in the original Japanese with English subtitles.

The dubbed North American version features the voices of Bridget Mendler as Arrietty and David Henrie as the boy, with other actors such as Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett filling various other roles.

Originally titled in Japan "The Borrower Arrietty," the film was Yonebayashi's first as director. He has gone on to direct two other features, 2014's "When Marnie Was There" and 2017's "Mary and the Witch's Flower" — along with a segment of the 2018 compilation "Modest Heroes."

Adapted in part by the great filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki from the novel "The Borrowers" by English author Mary Norton, "The Secret World of Arrietty" tells the story of the little people who live inside the walls of a house, apart from the humans who are unaware of their existence. One of the little people, the title character Arrietty, becomes friends with a human boy and the film explores their story as the little people struggle to survive and the boy faces a serious operation.

Amy Biancolli of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "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."

We could all use a bit of enchantment these days.