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There have been several adaptations of Mary Norton’s classic children’s novel, The Borrowers, the most popular being the 1997 film of the same name starring John Goodman. I have not seen any of these previous incarnations, but it’d be hard to believe any of them are as striking or visually beautiful as Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s The Secret World of Arrietty, which has the advantage of being the first animated version. Given the nature of the story, which is about a tiny race of people living under floorboards who survive by “borrowing” things from humans, animation seems like the perfect format to tell it. It also seems perfect that Studio Ghibli, headed by the Japanese animation master, Hayao Miyazaki, would produce it.

Above all else, this is a superb family film, embracing such classic themes and lessons as friendship, kindness and acceptance, which work not only as useful tips for kids but as good refreshers for adults who may have forgotten them. The story finds a sickly teenage boy from the city named Shawn (voice of David Henrie) going to stay at his Aunt Jessica’s (Gracle Poletti) in the country for rest and relaxation. His aunt instructs the eccentric and suspicious housekeeper, Haru (Carol Burnett), “to not let anything excite him.”

But who wouldn’t get excited to see a 14-year-old girl, only four inches tall, attempting to steal a piece of tissue paper in the middle of the night? The girl’s name is Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a “borrower” who lives under the house with her nervous but loving mother, Homily (Amy Poehler), and austere, stoic father, Pod (Will Arnett). Arrietty and her parents are some of the last of their kind. Earlier generations of borrowers emigrated from their houses because they thought it would be too risky if they were ever seen by human beings, whom they refer to as “human beans.” Homily and Pod warn Arrietty that humans are dangerous and give off an uneasy feeling that just doesn’t seem right.

That’s why Arrietty is surprised to learn Shawn doesn’t give off such a feeling, or at least not to her. After she talks openly with him, she starts to believe he’s genuinely nice and only wants to be her friend. We believe it, too, because we can see the kid is sad and lonely. He and Arrietty share a tender moment on the grass, where they exchange stories about their histories and families and he reveals he has a heart condition. The scene is really quite lovely and Yonebayashi lets it play out with patience. He assumes, and assumes right, the audience wants to listen to Shawn and Arrietty learn more about each other and form a bond. Just because it’s an animated family film doesn’t mean we’re only interested in action and adventure.

And yet, the story comes with its fair share of action and adventure, which is fun and engaging because we get to see how the borrowers make their way around the house and the types of obstacles they encounter. When we first meet Arrietty, she’s a plucky teenager who practically seeks out danger just to prove she can survive on her own. She can’t wait to go on her first borrowing expedition with her father, which entails climbing through the walls, stepping carefully across nails, avoiding rats and belaying off counters with a hook and thread to help retrieve a sugar cube, among other things. The trip opens her eyes to a whole new world of possibilities and she learns of a dollhouse that Shawn’s mother and grandfather made because they believed borrowers existed and wanted to give them a nice place to stay.

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