Review by C.J. Bunce
Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels wasn’t really a book for kids, despite the cartoons that survive as many generations’ only exposure to the famous political satire novel. But every kid has imagined themselves as someone like one of the Liliputians–or personally meeting one whether in a fantasy world or sci-fi world like Ant-Man’s. The Secret World of Arrietty arrived in 2010 as an adaptation of Mary Norton’s 1952 book The Borrowers, another tale of encounters with a tiny human-like world. As anime fans return to theaters next month for the film’s return thanks to the annual Ghibli Fest from Fathom Events, fans of Studio Ghibli’s tale of the little people can revisit the awe and fantastic journey of the film in The Art of the Secret World of Arrietty, a behind-the-scenes treasure trove from VIZ Media that provides a rare insight into the artistic creations of Studio Ghibli, including director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and film legend and art contributor Hayao Miyazaki. It’s available now here at VIZ Media and here at Amazon.
In the film director Hiromasa Yonebayashi creates a balance between a secret pastoral world hidden within our own and the scary prospects of embarking on the day’s challenges that await right outside your door. The movie evokes themes from The Secret Garden, focused on a little boy who must be confined to his home because of a sickness, who then stumbles upon a tiny girl our adventuring in his larger world, being chased by his cat. It is not only a modern fairy tale, but a story the finds these little people as fairies in their own way.
The book provides more than the typical look behind the scenes of a movie, getting the director and crew’s personal recollections in taking on the project and putting their vision forward. It includes concept sketches, concept art, and film stills for your own study. Concept and rough characters sketches were created by the director, with key art by Hayao Miyazaki, concept art and environments created by the art staff supervised by art directors Yoji Takeshige and Noboru Yoshida, and character designs by Ai Kagawa and Akihiko Yamashita. Readers will see hundreds of designs that didn’t make it into the film.
The adaptation from 1950s England to modern day Japan is an easy fit for the story. Twelve-year-old boy Shawn and the eager young Arrietty are timeless characters. Shawn seeks friendship as Arrietty is trying to find her place in her family while imagining something more outside the confines of her world.
The book has it all–from vivid and meaningful idea doodles to promising character images and staging. Every image in the book is something anyone would be proud to frame and put on their wall–each very much a masterpiece of fantasy art. A Layout and Process section reproduces the environments in their full-color glory, rich colors depicting both nature and the city where the film is set. The director calls back in his discussion other Ghibli films as influences, including Ponyo and Whisper of the Heart. The book ends with the complete voice-over script for the film. The book is worth its price for this feature alone.
It’s a superb view into the artistry and ideas behind one of Studio Ghibli’s best fantasy films. Order The Art of the Secret World of Arrietty here at VIZ Media and here at Amazon. Enjoy it before or after the Fathom Events screening, or stream it now, available on Disney+.
