This is more than I can say for films such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited I also realized that the lackluster visuals are enlivened by the English language screenplay, translated by Karey Kirkpatrick from Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa's original Japanese version, and the voice work, which, for me at least, grounded the story in such a way that I could understand it. The look of the film didn't impress me all that much, although I found myself caught up in the story, which is an adaptation of Mary Norton's book The Borrowers. Having said all that, I find myself in the position of reviewing the latest Studio Ghibli animated film The Secret World of Arrietty, which has been distributed by Walt Disney Pictures for its American release.
I've also noticed that, during still shots, the irises tend to shake rapidly, as if the characters are always on the verge of tears. The eyes are the biggest culprits; because they're so big, they convey emotions at an exaggerated level. They tend to just open and close, like the limited flapping movements of a puppet. You see this with their mouths, which may adequately put forth smiles or frowns but consistently fail to suggest the illusion of vowel sounds, which are more complex and therefore more lifelike. It's not the backgrounds so much as the characters, especially their faces, many of which are drawn according to a fixed iconography that essentially cuts corners in the ways of expression. Perhaps I'm just artistically deficient, but I find the look of anime unappealing
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