The Borrowers

The Borrowers is a 1997 fantasy comedy film centered around a hidden family of tiny, four-inch-tall people who secretly live within the walls and floors of a normal-sized human house. They survive by scavenging and borrowing everyday items from the big human beings who unwittingly share their home. The main plot kicks into gear when the tiny family must team up with a human boy to stop a ruthless, corrupt real estate developer from demolishing their house.

The film features a highly recognizable, star-studded cast, with John Goodman leading the film as the villainous, scheming lawyer Ocious P. Potter. The movie also features notable British actors like Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, and Mark Williams as the tiny Clock family. The talented ensemble cast brought Mary Norton's beloved characters to life with a highly stylized, slightly cartoonish flair.

Yes, the movie is a loose adaptation of the classic 1952 children's fantasy novel of the exact same name written by British author Mary Norton. The original book was highly acclaimed and actually won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for outstanding children's literature in the UK. The 1997 film heavily modernized and Americanized these original literary stories to appeal to a contemporary global audience.

Being a mid-1990s production, the film relied heavily on practical optical techniques, forced perspective camera angles, and massive, oversized practical props to create the physical illusion of tiny people. The dedicated production team built enormous versions of everyday household objects, like giant chess pieces, needles, and teacups, for the actors to interact with. While early digital compositing was used for a few complex shots, the physical sets gave the film its distinct, tangible charm.