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100
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Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
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.
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100
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Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
As lovingly written as it is beautifully rendered.
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90
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The New York Times Manohla Dargis
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.
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83
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Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
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.
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75
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San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli
What's missing is any real menace - the signature Miyazaki freak factor that turns spirits into monsters and parents into pigs.
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75
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USA Today Claudia Puig
With its lush colors, imaginative view of ordinary objects and meticulously crafted miniature civilization, it transports viewers to an enchanting alternate storybook reality.
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75
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Washington Post
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.
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75
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NPR Bob Mondello
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.
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63
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Boston Globe Ty Burr
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.
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60
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New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
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.
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company.