Adam LeFevre, David Bowie, Doug Rand

Ten-year-old Arthur has a lot on his plate: a real estate developer is about to snap up his grandma's home -- and there's no way Arthur's going to hang around for his parents or grandparents to sort o...( read more  read more... )ut the problem. Maybe the solution lies in his grandpa's treasure, which is hidden somewhere on the "other side" in the land of the Minimoys. The creatures that inhabit this world are just a tenth of an inch tall and live in perfect harmony with their environment. Arthur ventures into this world of the Minimoys, where he meets Princess Selenia and her brother Betameche. Together they set off to look for the treasure that will save his grandma.

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64% liked it

127,577 ratings

Critics

21% liked it

86 critics

PG, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Luc Besson

Release Date: January 12, 2007

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DVD Release Date: May 15, 2007

Stats: 4,449 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,449)


  • September 14, 2009
    Nice kids film this! Although most of the story is pinched from lots of other fairytales and legends and the actors voices don't quite match the characters, its a nicely made film. I cant help but wish Mr Besson would start making adult movies instead though (Not those kind of ad...( read more)ult movies!)
  • June 10, 2008
    "This is Archibald Suchot, a treasure hunter, explorer, and engineer. He spent ten years in Africa building every type of useful thing. By the way, it's in the heat of Africa that our story begins. Well, this really isn't Africa: it's Connecticut, and this is the house that Ar...( read more)chibald lived in before he mysteriously disappeared. But that's a story that Archibald's grandson would be more qualified to tell you. You'll see that he's quite a charming kid who answers to the name of... Arthur."

    Photobucket

    * NOTE: This is a review of the film's English version.

    The name Luc Besson is probably synonymous with fast-paced, action-packed films laden with violence and intensity, like Nikita, Léon, and the Science Fiction fantasy The Fifth Element. The Taxi franchise too is associated with the French director, as are the other diverse variety of films written by him, ranging from the Transporter films to 13th District and Danny the Dog.

    And finally, an animation which doesn't feature talking animals. Talk about a deserved break from animation of those sorts. Besson has weaved a magical fantasy adventure, adapting a book (Arthur et les Minimoys, written by himself), combining live action and delightful 3D animation which is absolutely stunning, and not forgetting a memorable, simple yet strong story to carry the film through, rather than rehashed juvenile tales that put you to sleep. I'm really glad to say I had a lot of fun watching Arthur and the Minimoys and to have shut my ears to all those who trashed it for no reason.

    Set in the 1960s New England, the story tells the adventures of Arthur (Freddie Highmore), a 10-year-old boy who's staying with his kooky Granny (Mia Farrow) while his parents are in the big city looking for jobs. After his grandpa disappeared, his granny was left to deal with bill collectors and land barons. But Arthur is determined to keep a real estate developer from taking their home, a beautiful old farmhouse filled with antiques and knick-knacks from all parts of the world. He finds a solution buried in the pages of his grandpa's diary - a treasure of words and pictures describing the Minimoys, a tribe of miniature people less than an inch tall who live in perfect harmony with nature. Before Arthur knows it, he's shrunk down to their size and venturing into their world - beneath Granny's back yard

    Once there, Arthur encounters a miniature kingdom of tiny people, including a noble, clumsy king (Robert DeNiro), his sassy daughter, Princess Selenia (Madonna), her boyish but 300-year-old brother, Betameche (Jimmy Fallon), a good wizard, Miro (Harvey Keitel), a bad wizard, Maltazard (David Bowie), and all manner of elves and other creatures. According to the diary, there's also a fortune in the form of rubies buried somewhere in the kingdom - enough for Granny to pay off the bill collectors.

    Once Arthur drops (literally) into the kingdom, he changes from a real boy into a CGI-animated hobbit of sorts. And he realizes there might be a win-win situation here. He needs the rubies, and the kingdom needs relief from the evil Maltazard (who looks amazingly like Bowie himself), who rules over the forbidden city of Necropolis, which is also where the rubies are stashed.

    No doubt that you might think there are bits which makes it look like a distant cousin of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, or Ants / A Bug's Life, but Arthur and the Minimoys is original in its own merits and has its own saccharine sweet backstory developed, leading to an inevitable ending of which it isn't pessimistic about. In fact, it ends on hope, and love, and there's always something special with films that dare to end with that.

    The film's live-action scenes have a splendiferous cartoon wonder about them, just as the cartoon elements are remarkably life-like, meaning the story's real and fantasy realms immaculately blend into one another. Like Arthur's grandfather, Besson is always harnessing image and light, playfully contrasting truth-seeking elements from both of the film's worlds. There is a journey down a river inside a straw, a chase sequence involving a toy Ferrari, and an off-the-hook battle sequence atop a record player that blasts, among other tunes, "Lonesome Town" and "Stayin' Alive." Always summoning our consciousness and making known that it has the survival of its human and non-human characters alike.

    A couple of years ago, Arthur came and went theatrically without even clearing $30 million in the States, but it was more successful around here where it was released under its original title, Arthur and the Minimoys. This, you know, makes a lot more sense since they aren't fucking invisible! It made enough to greenlight two sequels, which should be released in 2009 and 2010. I only hope they're as fun, entertaining and light-hearted as this. Ignore the naysayers, this is a highly recommended animated feature.
  • January 27, 2008
    Madonna can do voice acting. Who knew? This was pretty good.
  • October 28, 2007
    A bit of fun. I had no idea of there were so many star-power voices until the credits.
  • September 8, 2007
    Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles does just that and does it brilliantly with a mix of stunningly shot live action and wonderfully crafted, sometimes breath-taking CGI animation.The cast list reads like a Hollywood Who's Who. Robert de Niro, Harvey Keitel, Madonna and Mia Fa...( read more)rrow all feature. But it's the young lead who really takes centre stage. Freddie Highmore was Charlie in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a role he played well but I fully expected him, as with a plethora of child actors, to then disappear into fresh air. But Highmore comes alive in this movie; both when we see him in the flesh, and when he's voicing his animated incarnation. Besides Highmore, Mia Farrow, as Arthur's scatty grandmother, is utterly charming and David Bowie makes for a very creepy, yet nicely understated, evil wizard Maltazard. Jimmy Fallon's Betameche was entertaining, by far my favortie character, while the casting of forty- eight year old Madonna as Princess Selenia seems a little odd. Her performance is perfectly adequate, but in effect she spends most of the time flirting with a schoolchild. A great animation with good special effects that doesn't become too flashy but does it part putting it up there as a great family film with great imagination.
  • November 18, 2009
    Lively, enjoyable CGI comedy that has plenty of wondrous visuals but a fairly dodgy script. The voice acting is rather lazy, and the live action parts pretty much blow. I did not hate it one bit, though-- I know, right?!

    Either way, this one's for kids-- and it's not insulting...( read more) to them, nor to you. You will probably be just a wee bit bored.
  • October 29, 2009
    Day: Saturday
    Date: 30 June 2007
    With: Maa, Azeem
    On: Etihad Entertainment
    Name: ARTHUR AND THE MINICOYS
  • October 26, 2009
    Add a review (optional)...
  • October 19, 2009
    The animation was good, the plot was excelllent and the use of A listers like Madonna and Jason Bateman and Snoop Dogg and Robert DiNero helped a lot.
  • October 15, 2009
    Such a cute film and really good, i really liked it.

Critic Reviews


January 12, 2007
Kyle Smith, New York Post

This kids' cartoon from France is such a surreally demented attempt to connect with children that it's the equivalent of foie gras breakfast cereal or a bleu cheese milkshake. full review

January 12, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The movie bing-bing-bings all over the place, repurposing fantasy novels, video games, Arthurian legends. Besson's grocery bill for all I know. Even the musical score has multiple-personality disorder. full review

January 11, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Luc Besson, the most-Hollywoodish of Gallic directors, has adapted his own series of popular (in France) kid-lit tomes to produce a glossy, expensive ($84 million) and long-winded mix of live action a... full review

January 11, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Essentially, though, the star is Besson himself, pulling out all the stops to give Pixar a run for their money. full review

View more Arthur and the Invisibles (Arthur and the Minimoys) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • liliecv1
    March 20, 2009
    great
  • HoosierBear28
    August 24, 2008
    I liked the Romeo and Juliet puffball things! They're so cute!
  • ashbuzzno
    November 7, 2007
    I really liked your guys movie i will soon owm it
  • horiseb
    November 6, 2007
    dis movies was wicked
  • addicted2kelly
    October 30, 2007
    Bill Kaulitz act in this movie but in german he was sooooo hot :P
  • fidgitforgets
    June 9, 2007
    I gave this movie a 4 star. I think it's a great family movie, some over 11 may not be interested. It was a great film with live and animation. good story,shows once more the (evil)one Tries to destroy the Good. Not an edge of the seat movie, but you can enjoy it for the work put in to it. set in the late 50's early 60's. I guess you can say.. this is why we have gnomes in the yard
  • AmandaHeather
    March 9, 2007
    It's horrible - went with the school and it was a complete waste of time - was supposed to see bridge to terabethia but the theatre couldnt get it in : (

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Arthur and the Invisibles (Arthur and the Minimoys) Trivia

Arthur and the Invisibles (Arthur... Trivia


  • A young boy who's grandad went missing has to find the hidden ruby's to save their house. Voices of Madonna, David Bowie and Ice T. Name the animated film.  Answer »
  • What was the name of the tiny tribe that lived in the back yard in Arthur and the Invisibles?  Answer »

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