The Borrowers (1997) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Potter claims he cannot find the will of Victoria's late aunt Mary Alabaster, which would validate the house as the rightful inheritance. Without the will, he argues the property has no legal owner, giving him permission to demolish it and build condominiums for profit.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Potter arrives with ominous news about the missing will, setting up his true intentions.

• potter
• demolition
• will
• property
• legal claim

Victoria Alabaster secretly hid her will inside a concealed safe within the walls of the house itself. Potter discovers this hidden safe and finds the document, attempting to burn it to erase the Borrowers' claim to the home.

Foreshadowing: The film hints that Victoria was clever and protective of her assets, suggesting she wouldn't simply lose such an important document.

• will
• hidden safe
• house walls
• victoria alabaster

Pete Lender shows Officer Steady the will that the Borrowers retrieved, proving the house has a legal owner. With the document secured and Potter's fraud exposed, the police arrest him for his criminal schemes. The Lenders are then able to reclaim their home.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the chase, the will remains the central prize that could save or doom the Borrowers.

• arrest
• will
• officer steady
• police
• fraud

Pete discovers Arrietty when she is captured during a borrowing mission. Rather than exposing her, Pete forms a wary bond with her and explains the demolition threat. He returns Pod's gadget to earn their trust and helps smuggle the Clocks onto the moving truck, becoming their primary human ally.

Foreshadowing: Pete sets up traps to catch the 'thief' stealing household items, leading directly to his encounter with Arrietty.

• pete
• arrietty
• trust
• gadget
• alliance

Spiller is a 'city' Borrower who lives on the streets outside the Lender home. Unlike the Clock family who live inside houses, Spiller survives by scavenging in the outside world. He helps Arrietty reach the dairy during the chase and later brings an army of Borrowers to confront Potter, showing that Borrowers stick together despite their differences.

Foreshadowing: Spiller appears as a mysterious figure when Arrietty ventures outside, hinting at a larger Borrower community.

• spiller
• city borrower
• street
• dairy
• army

Pod rescues Peagreen from the dairy assembly line, and the Borrowers work together to keep the will away from Potter. When Potter tries to drown them in liquid cheese, Spiller taunts him and gets dropped into a machine. Pete then arrives to rescue the Clocks while Potter becomes trapped in dangerous machinery himself.

Foreshadowing: The dairy chase escalates quickly from Peagreen falling into a milk bottle to a full-scale pursuit through the factory.

• dairy
• escape
• liquid cheese
• assembly line
• pod

During the chase, Peagreen accidentally tumbles into an empty milk bottle on the dairy loading dock. The bottle is processed and carried into the factory on the assembly line. Pod must rescue his son from the moving conveyor belt before Peagreen reaches the processing equipment.

Foreshadowing: The Borrowers' small size makes everyday objects like milk bottles deadly traps in their world.

• peagreen
• milk bottle
• factory
• assembly line
• rescue

Pete smuggles the Clock family onto the Lenders' moving truck to keep them safe. However, Arrietty and Peagreen fall off the moving pile and must find their way back to the house. They return just in time to warn everyone about Potter's true plans.

Foreshadowing: The moving truck escape appears to offer safety, but the film quickly reverses this by having the children return to danger.

• moving truck
• arrietty
• peagreen
• escape
• return

Potter learns the Borrowers exist and possess the will that proves the house's true ownership. Rather than letting them testify or reveal the document, he summons Exterminator Jeff to eliminate them and destroy the evidence. His goal is to ensure no one can challenge his demolition plans.

Foreshadowing: Potter's villainy escalates when he discovers the Borrowers have the will and might use it against him.

• exterminator
• jeff
• potter
• kill
• evidence

The Clock family lives hidden behind walls and under floorboards, venturing out only when humans are absent. They 'borrow' tiny amounts of everyday items, thread, safety pins, batteries, and food scraps, things humans simply misplace. They use ordinary household objects scaled to their tiny size for shelter and survival.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Pete noticing small items disappearing, establishing the Borrowers' secret lifestyle.

• borrowers
• living space
• hidden
• small items
• survival