The Borrowers
Directed by Tom Harper
TheoScope Rating
Worldview · content · moral framework
Plot
Pod and Homily Clock and their sixteen year old daughter Arietty are 'Borrowers', four inch high people who live under the floor boards in Granny Driver's house and borrow what they need without her knowledge. She is determined to catch them. When Arietty defies her father and strays into the house alone young James hides her and they become friends but Granny contacts Professor Mildeye, who is obsessed with the existence of 'Homo Sapiens Redactus', whom he wants to exhibit to the world and he captures Pod and Homily. Fortunately Arietty and resourceful fellow Borrower Spiller join forces with James to effect a rescue before the professor can dissect his tiny captives.
Discern Score Breakdown
30%
30%
25%
15%
Audience Suitability
Kids
Under 10
Teens
10–17
Adults
18+
Family
Mixed ages
Content Flags
The Borrowers (2011) is a charming British family fantasy based on Mary Norton's beloved novel, presenting a warm adventure about courage, family loyalty, and finding dignity in smallness. It lands in solidly family-friendly territory with no significant content concerns and a broadly virtuous moral framework, though it offers little for adults beyond nostalgic enjoyment and lacks any theological depth. Its greatest strength is its heart — it genuinely affirms that the overlooked and vulnerable deserve protection and respect.
Pastoral Take
The Borrowers is a safe, warm choice for families with children of nearly any age — the peril is mild, the values are solid, and there is nothing that should concern a Christian parent in terms of content. Very young children (under 5) may find the threat of dissection briefly unsettling, but the tone is consistently adventurous rather than dark. There is real redemptive value here in its portrayal of family loyalty, sacrificial friendship, and the dignity of the small and overlooked, making it a natural springboard for conversations about how God sees those the world ignores.
Discussion Points
- 1When Professor Mildeye wants to dissect and exhibit the Borrowers as scientific curiosities, he treats them like objects instead of persons. Why do you think it's wrong to treat people — or anyone — that way just because they're different or smaller? What does the Bible say about how we should treat those who are weaker or more vulnerable than us?
- 2Arietty disobeys her father's rules to explore the house, and her family ends up in serious danger because of it. Do you think her dad's rules were unfair, or was there wisdom in them she didn't see yet? Can you think of a time when a rule felt frustrating but turned out to be protecting you?
- 3James risks getting in trouble with his grandmother to help and hide Arietty and her family, even though he had nothing to gain from it. What do you think motivated him to do that? Jesus said, 'Do to others what you would have them do to you' — how does James's friendship with Arietty show that principle in action?
- 4The Borrowers are tiny and hidden, but they have a whole family, a home, and people they love fiercely. Does the film make you think differently about people or creatures that are easy to overlook or dismiss in real life? Who might God be calling you to notice and care for that you might normally walk right past?
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Cast
Christopher Eccleston, Sharon Horgan, Aisling Loftus
Community Reviews
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