As long as The Borrowers focuses on the fantastical lifestyle of its title characters (led by the always charismatic actor Jim Broadbent), it's an utter delight. But it doesn't take long for the plot to intervene--a routine, slapsticky affair involving a ruthless developer who wants to knock down the Borrowers' home and put up a block of flats. John Goodman makes a game villain, but by the second time he gets sprayed in the eyes with insecticide (kids, don't try), you'll likely have stopped watching the center of the frame and have started focusing on the more fascinating backgrounds.

Still, those backgrounds are wonderful, and director Peter Hewitt (who also made the likable Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey) balances the special effects with whimsical set design and an adventurous spirit. The Borrowers is based on a popular series of children's books by Mary Norton; if this installment spawns a sequel, I hope the plot that the filmmakers borrow next time around is as imaginative as the characters that enact it.