The Secret World of Arrietty

Interview: Jesse Wente on Studio Ghibli

We talk to TIFF Bell Lightbox Head of Film Programming (and massive dork at heart) Jesse Wente about round 2 of the Lightbox's now comprehensive look at the films of Studio Ghibli. We also talk about what the films mean to him, the iconography behind My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies, hidden gems in the program people might not be aware of, how the films of Studio Ghibli encompass the very goals the TIFF Bell Lightbox strives towards as an organization, and why he’s honoured to be a part of this showcase of films by not only a great filmmaker, but one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.

This Week in DVD: 5/22/12

A busy week for big titles on video store shelves as we take a look at The Grey, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Woman in Black, This Means War, and Red Tails.

The Secret World of Arrietty Review

Even dubbed into English, it’s hard to go wrong with almost any film bearing the Studio Ghibli name on it. Similarly, the much beloved children’s novel The Borrowers – written by the late Mary Norton with no fewer than four big and small screen adaptations – stands as an enduring brand in family entertainment. While only written by Ghibli head maestro Hayao Miyazaki and only somewhat faithful to Norton’s beloved source material, The Secret World of Arrietty still manages to be another solid, but slight effort from the Japanese powerhouse.