Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) Budget

2012

FantasyAnimationFamily1h 34m

Updated April 25, 2026

Budget

$23,000,000

Domestic Box Office

$19,587,032

Worldwide Box Office

$149,660,003

Synopsis

Adventurous 14-year-old Arrietty comes from a traditional family in which mother and father assume their time-honored roles and children grow up under their parents’ supervision. However, they are a family of tiny people who live under the floor of an old house and survive by “borrowing” the things they need from human beings. These tiny people live carefully so as to never be seen by humans. Their way of life, which is full of wisdom and inspiration, has much in common with the way humans used to live. Most of the things they borrow are raw materials. The family works together to modify the materials to suit their needs. Tiny people do not practice magic to achieve their borrowing objectives. They do it the old fashioned way, by getting what they need with their own ingenuity, using ropes and duct tape to climb up and down the walls and furniture. The story starts on an ordinary day in the lives of these tiny people. Then, Arrietty, a curious and sensitive girl, meets a human boy. Their friendship develops, but in the end, they are forced to go their separate ways. The tiny people must flee to the wilderness in order to be free from the dangers of callous humans.

What is the budget of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)?

"Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)," a fantasy released in 2012, was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and stars Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki. The production budget was $23,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for fantasy productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a fantasy production like this include:

Visual Effects & Creature Design: Fantasy productions require extensive VFX for magical elements, mythical creatures, and fantastical battle sequences.
Costumes, Prosthetic Makeup & Production Design: Period-inspired or wholly original costumes, elaborate prosthetic and makeup applications, and richly detailed set construction are hallmarks of fantasy filmmaking.
Music Score & Sound Design: Fantasy epics typically commission full orchestral scores recorded with 80 to 100 piece ensembles, plus extensive sound design for magical effects, creature vocalizations, and immersive world audio.
Casting: The Japanese voice cast of the film was announced on April 13, 2010.

What were the major cost factors in Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)."

Visual Effects: Visual Effects & Creature Design is one of the primary cost drivers in fantasy productions of this scale.
Costumes: Costumes, Prosthetic Makeup & Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in fantasy productions of this scale.
Music Score: Music Score & Sound Design is one of the primary cost drivers in fantasy productions of this scale.

How Does Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)'s Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $23,000,000, Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

12 Rounds (2009): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,280,326
1408 (2007): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $133,000,000
A Journal for Jordan (2021): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $6,700,000
Abandon (2002): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $10,719,357
All My Life (2020): Budget $25,000,000, Worldwide Gross $2,000,000

The median budget for wide-release fantasy films in the 2010s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) Box Office Performance

"Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)" earned $19,587,032 domestically and $149,660,003 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $23,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)," that break-even threshold was roughly $46,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $149,660,003, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $23,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $149,660,003
Net Return: $126,660,003
ROI: approximately 550.7%

At 550.7%, "Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)" earned roughly $6.51 for every $1 invested in production.

Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ) Production History

The Japanese voice cast of the film was announced on April 13, 2010. Actress Mirai Shida was cast as the voice of Arrietty. Arrietty was Shida's first voice acting role.

The film score of Arrietty was composed by French recording artist and musician Cécile Corbel, The score combined the musical styles of Celtic folk music, medieval Turkish songs, Baroque madrigals, and Irish marches. It was recorded in France with a small orchestra including acoustic guitar, bass, a string quartet, bagpipes, Irish flutes, bodhrán, percussion instruments, and accordion.

Awards and Recognition

12 wins & 6 nominations total

Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Critical Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli's reputation." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".