"The Secret World of Arrietty" to screen in New York City on January 21st

by Chris MaGee

It was back in June that we reported on the English voice cast that the folks at Disney had assembled for the North American release of Hiromasa Yonebayashi's "The Borrower Arrietty". 18-year-old singer and actress Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, David Henrie and Carol Burnett have all lent their talents to what is now being called "The Secret World of Arrietty"; and now there's word that this new dub will get a special screening at the New York International Children’s Film Festival later this month.

The film, based on Mary Norton's 1952 children's novel "The Borrowers", tells the story of a tiny teenage girl named Arrietty whose family lives under the floor boards of an old manor house. The family survives on items borrowed from the world of humans, and young Arrietty ends up forging a friendship with a teenage boy living in the house. The New York International Children’s Film Festival will screen "The Secret World of Arrietty" on Saturday, January 21st at 1:00PM at the Symphony Space theatre.

I caught "Arrietty" in Frankfurt at the Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival last year, and it was a truly sweet film, so it will be interesting to see how North American audiences react to it with a whole new voice cast. If you're in the New York City area head to the NYICFF website for ticket details; and then check out the trailer for "The Secret World of Arrietty" below. Thanks to Sci-Fi Japan for this news.