The Borrowers is a 1997 fantasy comedy film directed by Peter Hewitt and starring John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Mark Williams, Hugh Laurie and Bradley Pierce.

Young Pete Lender sets up traps throughout his home, explaining to his parents, Joe and Victoria, that small household items, which they believe are simply misplaced, are being stolen.

In actuality, the Clock family of tiny people known as "Borrowers" are secretly living in the house, taking things without being seen by "human beans".

Arrietty warns her family and, despite her parents' misgivings, Pod reluctantly agrees and Pete smuggles the Clocks onto the Lenders' moving truck to join them at their new home.

Discovering the Clocks' home beneath the floorboards, Potter summons Exterminator Jeff to eliminate the Borrowers, and is sprayed with caustic foam and electrocuted in the process.

Spud Spiller, an "outie" Borrower living on the streets, takes Arrietty to the dairy, where Pod rescues Peagreen from the assembly line.

As the Clocks enjoy the company of their old Borrower friends, Minty Branch, Swag Moss and Dustbunny Bin, Arrietty and Spiller sneak away to ride his aerosol paint-propelled roller skate.

During the pre-credits, the now mentally off-kilter Potter attempts to explain the existence of the Borrowers, only for the whole station – both cops and convicts – to laugh at him uproariously.

Some of the film's scenes were shot on location in the village of Theale, near Reading, Berkshire, where all of the buildings and shops in the High Street were painted dark green.