r/ghibli

I’ve always enjoyed Arrietty, having watched both the American and British dubs, but seeing it in IMAX was nothing short of incredible! Of the three Ghibli films I’ve seen in IMAX, those being Kiki’s Delivery Service, Whisper of the Heart, and now Arrietty (missing Princess Mononoke continues to kick me in the butt), this one has benefited by far the most. Watching on either a phone or TV doesn’t do this film justice because the sound design is unparalleled. The IMAX visuals are fantastic, of course, but the sound is sublime. All the tiny details that I couldn’t hear before are so present and clear.

Because the British dub wasn’t available, which I prefer, I watched the Japanese version for the first time, and it was delightful. To start, the subbing is markedly better than Whisper of the Heart, my most recent comparison, but the voice acting is fabulous (to be expected) and full of life. It also demonstrated that the dubbed VAs really cared about their performances as well as I compared the two (from memory) and they’re remarkably similar. Haru is still as much a gremlin as ever, so I’m happy!

I will say my show times were a bit weird (Tuesday at 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM), but such is life!

Whenever I watch this film, I enjoy it but wish it was a little longer. That feeling still remains but I love it so much more now!

What’d you think about the film and its restoration? Had you seen it before or was this your first time?

Next up, Ponyo…

As a lesbian, I was incredibly happy with what I thought was the representation happening in When Marnie Was There. When it was revealed that Marnie was Anna's grandmother, I was really confused and disappointed. I completely get that the story is about connecting with your roots as a foster child, and overall I still think the movie is really good and the message is great. But I can't help but feel at least slightly tricked. Anna and Marnie are incredibly close throughout most of the movie and I feel it's very fair to view their relationship as romantic. It even feels like the film leans into this in many scenes. Does anybody else feel like this?

This also goes for the book too kinda, although I haven't read it. From what I've read the movie is a faithful adaptation though.