Interview with Will Arnett of The Secret World of Arriety

Last year I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Secret World of Arriety.

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all.

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger.

I had the chance to participate in a group interview this week with Will Arnett, who plays Arriety’s father Pod. My husband and I have been a fan of his since his Arrested Development days. It’s still one of our favorite shows and we frequently watch it on Netflix still. He’s currently starring in Up All Night on NBC, which is also one of our current favorite shows!

The Secret World of Arriety is  based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.” Will had not read the book but he was familiar with other popular Studio Ghibli films Spirited Away and Ponyo. Once he saw the Japanese version of the movie, he thought it was “so great and had such universal themes. I was very excited to be a part of it.”

Will is most known for comedic roles and the character of Pod is portrayed as being the strong, steady and silent father. When asked about playing against what he usually does, Will says, “Disney first came to my wife and me and asked us to be part of it. And I was excited that they thought of me, especially for me to do something that is a little bit outside of what maybe people are used to seeing me in…I know a lot of people think of Pod as sort of stern or whatever, but I think of him as the steady hand in this story. I was just happy they thought of me in this way and I was excited to something a little out of my comfort zone.”

Will was asked if he related to the character of Pod more since he is also a father. Will says, “I would say once I started working on this film my performance was colored by it. What you don’t understand before your a parent is what it means to be a parent and what it means to have a child and that definitely changes your entire world view forever the moment your child is born. I wouldn’t have had the same perspective had I not been a parent when I started making this film. It definitely had an impact on me being a parent.”

Will has been in 6 animated movies in the past 10 years. When asked what about animated films attracts him, he says, “In animation you kind of get to hide. All you have is your voice and you have to work in concert with the other great artists who are creating this story. It’s a different kind of collaboration. It’s such a visual medium. I don’t know. It’s just such an interesting thing to be a part of.”

I loved the characters in The Secret World of Arriety and loved what they all stood for. The film is a great message of friendship and Will agrees saying, “I think there’s a really nice message of tolerance. It’s kinda about friendship and Arriety, ultimately her friendship is preserved and I think that’s a really nice message.”

Some other fun facts from the interview with Will Arnett:

– His current favorite voice over is Arriety. It’s hard for him to play favorites.

– Will’s real life wife Amy Poehler was the voice of Homily, Pod’s wife in the film. They did not record their parts together though, it was done separately.

– For the Arrested Development fans out there, they will be filming the mini-series soon and then on to an Arrested Development film. He currently is starring in Up All Night on NBC.

Make sure to check out my review of The Secret World of Arriety, which is out in theaters today!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Thanks to Walt Disney World Entertainment for the opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.