A few months ago, we got a chance to see "The Secret World of Arrietty" in theatres, and ever since then my daughter has been talking about the movie nonstop. The movie is based off of one of my favorite childhood stories, The Borrowers, and is the best adaptation of the book that I have ever seen. If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s about a family 
of miniature people who secretly live under the floor boards of an old garden home and only come out to “borrow” what they need to survive.
After I saw how taken my daughter was with the film after just one viewing, we decided we were going to make our own little Arrietty world with her fairy house using small household objects. Doing this project has been hours of fun as we dream up and then design little additions to her Arrietty world and we're both pretty proud of our work.
With how much we both love miniatures, it's really no surprise that we are fascinated with "The Secret World of Arrietty". How can you go wrong with a movie that has tiny people living secretly amongst humans and repurposing everyday items into usable miniatures?
After seeing as how much we liked the movie in theatres and then how much fun it has been to recreate our own little Arrietty world, it was really a no-brainer that we would also eventually own the movie when it was released. When I found out it would be released in a 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack, I was even more excited.
Here’s a blurb about the film: Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger.
Sounds pretty fun, right? You really have no idea how much fun.
When my daughter realized that the envelope the postman dropped off last week contained a copy of the Arrietty movie for us to review, there was a whole lot of squealing going on at my house. My daughter was literally jumping for joy shouting "I love Arrietty! Look, Mama, look what came!" and that's before we even took it out of the packaging. Of course, we ended up snuggling up to watch the show again that night, but this time in the comfort of our own home.
And, I think my daughter liked the movie even more the second time because the one loud part didn't scare her this time around, and I think she liked the fact that she could ask questions now that she wouldn't bother others in the theatre. I liked it even better on DVD and Blu-ray because of the ability to pause and rewind as well as all the bonus features on the Combo Pack.
I particularly liked the storyboard presentation of the film that is included as part of the Combo Pack since I love to see how a concept comes alive with modern animation. My kids weren't all that interested in the behind the scenes bonus features, but they did really like the music video for "Arrietty's Song" and have asked to watch that over and over again.
I was incrediby excited to add Arrietty to our movie collection and am positive that it's going to be one movie that is watched over and over for years to come. The classic tale really shines in the newest release and the message of friendship and love is a great one, even for young children.
For more information about the movie, the story, and the cast, check out their Facebook page and the Arrietty website.
This post was written for Walt Disney Studios who provided the Arrietty DVD Combo Pack in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.