The Secret World of Arrietty
Fourteen-year-old Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler, Saoirse Ronan, and Mirai Shida) and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items that they borrow from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Despite a moderate budget of $23.0M, The Secret World of Arrietty became a box office phenomenon, earning $149.7M worldwide—a remarkable 551% return.
12 wins & 6 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) demonstrates carefully calibrated plot construction, characteristic of Hiromasa Yonebayashi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.6, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Shawn arrives at his great-aunt's country house for rest before his heart surgery. The old estate with its overgrown garden establishes a world where time moves slowly and secrets hide beneath the surface.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when During Arrietty's first borrowing expedition with her father, Shawn spots her through the window. Their eyes meet, breaking the fundamental rule of Borrower survival. Arrietty drops the sugar cube in shock, leaving evidence of her existence.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 21 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 23% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Arrietty makes the choice to speak to Shawn despite her father's warnings. She confronts him in the garden, demanding he stop interfering with their lives. This active decision to engage with a human being crosses an irreversible line., moving from reaction to action.
At 43 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Hara the housekeeper discovers evidence of the Borrowers and becomes obsessed with proving their existence. She calls a pest control company, raising the stakes from mere discovery to active hunting. What seemed like a gentle coexistence now becomes a survival threat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 64 minutes (68% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Homily is imprisoned in a glass jar by Hara, who plans to show the exterminators. The Borrower family faces complete destruction—capture, separation, and death. For Arrietty, her mother's capture represents the whiff of death and the collapse of everything safe in her world., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 68 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. Shawn decides to act despite his weak heart. He synthesizes what he's learned—the Borrowers' courage and will to survive inspires him to fight for something beyond himself. He commits to rescuing Homily and helping the family escape, choosing life and action over passive acceptance., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Secret World of Arrietty's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping The Secret World of Arrietty against these established plot points, we can identify how Hiromasa Yonebayashi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Secret World of Arrietty within the animation genre.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Hiromasa Yonebayashi films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.4, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The Secret World of Arrietty takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Hiromasa Yonebayashi filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll. For more Hiromasa Yonebayashi analyses, see Mary and The Witch's Flower.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Shawn arrives at his great-aunt's country house for rest before his heart surgery. The old estate with its overgrown garden establishes a world where time moves slowly and secrets hide beneath the surface.
Theme
Great-Aunt Sadako tells Shawn that his grandfather used to say little people lived under the floorboards. She dismisses it as imagination, but the theme is stated: the coexistence of different worlds and the value of beings we cannot see.
Worldbuilding
We are introduced to both worlds: Shawn's fragile health and quiet acceptance of his fate above, and Arrietty's vibrant family life with her parents Pod and Homily beneath the floorboards. The rules of Borrower existence are established—they take only what won't be missed and must never be seen.
Disruption
During Arrietty's first borrowing expedition with her father, Shawn spots her through the window. Their eyes meet, breaking the fundamental rule of Borrower survival. Arrietty drops the sugar cube in shock, leaving evidence of her existence.
Resistance
Pod teaches Arrietty the ways of borrowing while warning her about the dangers of human contact. Meanwhile, Shawn becomes fascinated by the Borrowers, leaving the dropped sugar cube at their entrance as a peace offering. The family debates whether they must move, torn between caution and their established home.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Arrietty makes the choice to speak to Shawn despite her father's warnings. She confronts him in the garden, demanding he stop interfering with their lives. This active decision to engage with a human being crosses an irreversible line.
Mirror World
Shawn and Arrietty's friendship deepens as they have their first real conversation. Shawn reveals his heart condition and his acceptance of death, while Arrietty represents vitality and the will to survive. Their bond becomes the thematic mirror—both are isolated beings facing extinction in different ways.
Premise
The promise of the premise unfolds as we explore the wonder of cross-species friendship. Shawn creates a beautiful dollhouse kitchen for the Borrowers. Arrietty shows him her world. Their secret meetings bring joy to both lonely souls. The magic of tiny people living hidden lives is fully realized.
Midpoint
Hara the housekeeper discovers evidence of the Borrowers and becomes obsessed with proving their existence. She calls a pest control company, raising the stakes from mere discovery to active hunting. What seemed like a gentle coexistence now becomes a survival threat.
Opposition
Hara's pursuit intensifies. She blocks the Borrowers' exits and sets traps. Pod is injured during an escape attempt. The family accelerates their moving plans, but Homily is captured by Hara, who traps her in a jar as proof. Shawn is powerless to help openly without betraying the family's existence further.
Collapse
Homily is imprisoned in a glass jar by Hara, who plans to show the exterminators. The Borrower family faces complete destruction—capture, separation, and death. For Arrietty, her mother's capture represents the whiff of death and the collapse of everything safe in her world.
Crisis
Arrietty and Pod must process the horror of Homily's capture. The dark night of the soul—everything they feared about human contact has come true. Arrietty faces the consequences of her choices, knowing her friendship with Shawn may have doomed her family.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Shawn decides to act despite his weak heart. He synthesizes what he's learned—the Borrowers' courage and will to survive inspires him to fight for something beyond himself. He commits to rescuing Homily and helping the family escape, choosing life and action over passive acceptance.
Synthesis
Shawn creates a distraction allowing Arrietty to rescue her mother. He physically confronts Hara despite his condition, buying the family time. The Borrowers escape through the garden to meet Spiller, a wild Borrower who will guide them to a new home. Shawn and Arrietty share a tender farewell.
Transformation
Arrietty gives Shawn her hairclip as a memento before departing by river with Spiller and her family. Shawn, transformed by knowing the Borrowers, now faces his surgery with hope and the will to live. Both have been changed—Arrietty toward independence and new horizons, Shawn toward embracing life rather than accepting death.