The Return of the Borrowers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Return of the Borrowers |
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| Written by | Richard Carpenter Mary Norton (novel) |
| Directed by | John Henderson |
| Starring | Ian Holm Penelope Wilton Rebecca Callard |
| Music by | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Grainne Marmion |
| Cinematography | Clive Tickner |
| Editor(s) | David Yardley |
| Running time | 166 min. |
| Production company(s) | BBC |
| Distributor | Turner Home Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original release | 14 November 1993 (UK) 4 June 1996 (US) |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Borrowers |
The Return of the Borrowers is a fun BBC TV show for kids. It first aired in 1993 in the UK on BBC2. Later, it was shown in America on TNT. This series is based on the third and fourth books in Mary Norton's The Borrowers book series. These books are The Borrowers Afloat (from 1959) and The Borrowers Aloft (from 1961).
This show is a sequel to The Borrowers, which came out in 1992. Just like the first series, almost every episode ended with a cliffhanger. This means you had to watch the next episode to find out what happened! Both shows follow the Clock family. They are tiny people who had to leave their home under the floorboards of an old house. Now, they are exploring the English countryside.
Contents
The Borrowers' Big Adventure
Searching for a New Home
The Clock family includes a teenage girl named Arrietty, and her parents, Pod and Homily. They are tiny "borrowers" who live in a cottage with regular-sized humans. But they soon learn that the humans are leaving. This means the Clock family must find a new place to live. Some of their relatives, Hendreary, Lupy, and Eggletina, stay behind at the cottage.
With help from their friend Spiller, Arrietty, Pod, and Homily escape through the house's drain system. They temporarily move into a kettle that Spiller has been looking after. Spiller tells the Clock family about a cool model village called Little Fordham. It is located down the stream. Spiller and Arrietty go back to the big house. There, a human boy named George gives them a "boat." It's actually a large cutlery holder with a pin for an anchor and a knife for steering!
Trapped and Swept Away
Meanwhile, Pod's nephews, Ditchley and Ilrick, play a trick on Pod and Homily. They trap them in the kettle by jamming the lid shut with a stick. Then, they leave. A big storm comes, and the kettle is swept down the stream. A rock bumps the stick off the lid. Pod and Homily manage to get out of the kettle just before it crashes into a large stick.
The next morning, Spiller and Arrietty find the kettle sunk near the riverbank. Ditchley and Ilrick arrive, realizing their joke went too far. Pod and Homily show up, and Pod scolds his nephews for what they did. He scares them off. The Clock family then sails down the stream overnight. They are almost caught by a mean human named Mild Eye. Luckily, a police officer stops Mild Eye, who is then arrested. The Borrowers finally arrive in Little Fordham. They try to live there in secret.
A Tiny Village Secret
A relative of George's, Ms. Menzies, comes to the big house. She tells Mrs. Driver that George wrote a letter saying he wasn't happy there. Ms. Menzies suggests George spend his summer holidays with her instead. Mrs. Driver is happy with this idea, so George leaves with Ms. Menzies. They go to a town called Fordham, which is what Little Fordham was modeled after.
Arrietty becomes friends with Miss Menzies and also meets George again. But the owner of Little Fordham, Mr. Pott, sees two of the Borrowers while he is working on his model buildings. He doesn't know they are tiny people living there.
Escape by Balloon
The Borrowers are eventually discovered by a couple who own a different model village. This couple kidnaps the Borrowers! They plan to put them on display as a tourist attraction when their own model village opens. The Clock family is locked up in the couple's attic. But they are clever! They use materials they find to build a hot-air balloon and a basket.
The balloon lifts them out of a window to freedom! They escape just moments before they were going to be put on display for tourists.
The Journey Continues
Knowing they can't risk going back to Little Fordham, the family heads back into the great outdoors. They are searching for a new place to call home. Spiller tells the Clocks about an old watermill down the stream. He says there's one human there and lots of food.
Arrietty writes a letter to George. She explains that they are leaving Little Fordham. She also thanks him, Ms. Menzies, and Mr. Pott for everything. The series ends with the Borrowers sailing down the stream. Pod says that no matter what happens, they will always find a way to manage.
Meet the Cast
- Ian Holm as Pod Clock
- Penelope Wilton as Homily Clock
- Rebecca Callard as Arrietty Clock
- Daniel Newman as "Dreadful Spiller"
- Paul Cross as George
- Siân Phillips as Mrs. Driver
- Tony Haygarth as Mildeye
- Gemma Jones as Miss Menzies
- Richard Vernon as Mr. Potts
- Robert Lang as Mr. Sidney Platter
- Judy Parfitt as Mrs. Mabel Platter
- Stanley Lebor as Uncle Hendreary Harpsichord
- Pamela Cundell as Aunt Lupy Harpsichord
- Ben Chaplin as Ditchley Harpsichord
- Ross McCall as Ilrick Harpsichord
- Victoria Donovan as Eggletina Harpsichord
Awards
The show was recognized for its design!
- BAFTA Awards
- 1994 Best Design (Nominated)
- The Return of the Borrowers at the BFI's Screenonline
