The Secret World of Arrietty
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: February 17, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 17, 2012
A marvelously captivating animated feature. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranFeb 16, 2012
Set in an enchanting locale where the potential for magic is everywhere, this impeccable animated film puts its complete trust in the spirit of make-believe. Read full review
100
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyFeb 16, 2012
As lovingly written as it is beautifully rendered. Read full review
100
Time OutSam AdamsFeb 14, 2012
It's hardly the first movie to deal with thimble-size protagonists, but it's one of few animated fairy tales to genuinely transport the audience into their world and, in the process, let us see our own with fresh awe and respect. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonFeb 15, 2012
Even when making movies for small children, Studio Ghibli produces stories that are more emotionally sophisticated, and less philosophically polarized, than most adult fare. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 16, 2012
What the studio does, brilliantly, is preserve a hand-drawn look and feel in its work, as in the exteriors in The Secret World, where the characters pop against a painterly meadow. Read full review
90
TimeSteven James SnyderFeb 16, 2012
Arrietty brings the same magic to the mundane, elevating the ordinary confines of everyday life into sumptuous surprises. And while Arrietty lacks the sweep of "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," or "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind," it preserves all the trademark sensitivity to the emotional turmoil of adolescence. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsFeb 16, 2012
Disney TV star Bridgit Mendler brings an effective if limited friendliness to Arrietty; Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are relatively restrained as her parents; Carol Burnett runs through a career's worth of vocal flourishes and aural panic attacks as the housekeeper. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumFeb 15, 2012
The lyrical animation, with its meditative attention to nature, bears the unique stamp of Japan's Studio Ghibli, cofounded by the great ­"Spirited Away" animator Hayao Miyazaki. Read full review
80
Total FilmSimon KinnearJan 18, 2015
Arrietty’s craft and charm will invite universal acclaim. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderBen SachsFeb 20, 2012
Pulses with feeling for childhood and nature and develops a surprising amount of suspense considering it takes place around a single suburban home. Read full review
80
Village VoiceAaron HillisFeb 14, 2012
It's pure magic. Read full review
80
EmpireDan JolinFeb 10, 2012
A beautifully crafted, intimate adventure movie and - presented in hand-drawn 2D - one of the most visually arresting you'll enjoy all year. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovFeb 23, 2012
Although not directed by Hiyao Miyazaki (though he executive-produced and co-wrote it), the film retains the look and feel of the "Spirited Away" master's best work, allowing for huge emotions amidst a world of Lilliputian scope. Read full review
75
NPRBob MondelloFeb 21, 2012
The Secret World of Arrietty may be too gentle and meditative to be the studio's breakout hit in this country, but it's another sweet advance, and further evidence that the Ghibli secret must soon out. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyFeb 17, 2012
The result is an intriguing hybrid, mixing a Japanese reverence for nature (a raindrop shimmering on a leaf is a visual haiku) with quaint Victorian architecture and a story featuring contemporary, Caucasian-looking Japanese characters speaking in American accents. Somehow, it all works. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJody MitoriFeb 17, 2012
So many of today's children's movies are loud. Loud explosions, loud colors, loud soundtracks, loud humor. The animated The Secret World of Arrietty is the antidote to those films. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickFeb 17, 2012
A feast for the eyes that will engage the entire family. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliFeb 16, 2012
What's missing is any real menace - the signature Miyazaki freak factor that turns spirits into monsters and parents into pigs. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigFeb 16, 2012
With its lush colors, imaginative view of ordinary objects and meticulously crafted miniature civilization, it transports viewers to an enchanting alternate storybook reality. Read full review
75
Washington PostAmy JoyceFeb 16, 2012
Upon leaving the theater, a girl of about 6 turned to her grandmother and said dreamily, "That.Was.The.Best.Movie.Ever." And that sums up why this little movie is so very big. Read full review
75
MovielineMichelle OrangeFeb 15, 2012
It's a matinee treat for the very little ones, after all. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoFeb 14, 2012
Offers exactly what its title promises, unveiling this secret milieu through thoroughly meticulous animation. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondFeb 16, 2012
Norton's tale of an undetected community of tiny people is perfectly suited for a cartoon and this beautifully rendered, almost old-fashioned version is a gem. Read full review
70
VarietyLeslie FelperinFeb 10, 2012
Although beautifully rendered throughout, with delicate, elegantly drawn watercolor-like illustrations, the picture may seem too plain and simple for the oversophisticated tastes of kids in Europe and North America, while Arrietty herself reps a slightly insipid heroine. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrFeb 16, 2012
At the technical level, The Secret World of Arrietty isn't as ambitious as the studio's finest work, and the animation is stronger on texture than detail. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFeb 17, 2012
That's some admirably mature stuff for a kid's flick in this day of rampant pandering, but it also helps rob the film of a certain breathless, edge-of-your-seat appeal. In other words, there are lulls here. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFeb 16, 2012
Sadly suffers from more than a dollop of boredom. Like the ornate dollhouse that plays a part, "Arrietty" is lovely and well-appointed, but filled with only what you bring to it. Read full review
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