Arrietty

World-Building: Delightful (It's Ghibli/Miyazaki, need I say more)
Characterization: Great
Plot: Awesome

Arrietty is Studio Ghibli's adaptation of Mary Norton's The Borrowers. It was written by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, who also oversaw the production. It's an excellent film that moves along at a great pace. I've read The Borrowes (and its various sequels) and watched the 1997 movie. As usual, Miyazaki has taken this story with great potential and made it into something elegant. There was no lame "comedy" with farting dogs like the 1997 movie. It was simple, serious and enchanting.

THERE BE SPOILERS BELOW

Even though I knew the story so well it was still gripping. There were many action-packed scenes, like the one when the crow tries to get at Arrietty and ends up getting stuck in the window netting. Another great scene is when the roof of the borrowers' house is removed and the Arrietty's mother is freaking out.

The characters were all great. I particularly liked Arrietty's mother, just because of the frantic way she acts when in danger. And of course Arrietty and Sho were wonderful. One disappointment for me was how small a role Spiller plays in the movie. I love the way they portrayed him, with his war-paint and his bow and arrows and so on.

I'm hoping that they decide to make movies for the next book (or two or three) so that we get to see more of the Borrowers and more of their adventures.

And I think I should end it here, before I start getting repetitive and saying how great it is over and over.