From the creators of the acclaimed Spirited Away, Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle comes another imaginative anime flick that brings you back to your childhood memories and dreams. As a child, I have always dream about another world that exists within our world where tiny people exists, but we cannot see. I remember playing lego and imagining building a house for them. Therefore in the sell-out screening of Arrietty, it invoked and clicked at my memories. Imagine a family of tiny human beings living in your basement with their own little dream house. Such is the simple yet creative premise of this film and it is exactly why the film works. What I love about Studio Ghibli anime feature films is that they are just as appealing to children and for adults alike. There are always themes and motifs behind its simple and imaginative nature. The characters seem to come alive within their cartoon outlook and the scenery and details are simply beautiful to watch and endure. Arrietty may never reach the heights of Totoro or Spirited Away, but it remains true to the line of films that we have all grown up and dream about. Sometimes, in the midst of adult life with all the daily stress and growing up reality, it is wonderful to be able to escape into another world and become a carefree and imaginative child for a little while. Arietty is exactly that and therefore it succeeds in its attempt. All in all, Arrietty is a kind of film that is impossible to dislike, certainly a crowd pleaser and a beautiful dream to aspire to. I feel like I am a child again…

Neo rates it 8/10