Arthur et les Minimoys

Plot synopsis:
In the year 1960, protagonist Arthur lives with his grandmother Daisy in a quiet farm house on a dirt road, in a small rural community in Northeastern Connecticut (based on Sterling). His grandfather Archibald has recently gone missing and he sees little of his parents (who are away looking for work). Daisy entertains Arthur with stories of his grandfather's adventures in Africa, featuring the tall Bogo Matassalai and the minuscule Minimoys, of whom the latter now live in Archibald's garden, protecting a collection of rubies. Arthur becomes enamoured of a picture of Selenia, the princess of the Minimoys. When Daisy receives a two-day deadline to pay a large sum of money to a building developer named Ernest Davido, who plans to evict the two, Arthur looks for the rubies to pay off the debt, and discovers various clues left by his grandfather. He is met in the garden by the Bogo Matassala, who reduce Arthur to Minimoy size. From the Minimoys, Arthur learns that they are in danger from Maltazard, a Minimoy war hero who now rules the nearby 'Necropolis', after corruption by a weevil, by whom he has a son named Darkos.
Arthur, reflecting his legendary British namesake, draws a sacred sword from its recess and uses it to protect the Minimoys from Maltazard's soldiers; whereupon Sifrat, the ruler of the Minimoys, sends Arthur to Necropolis, with the princess Selenia and her brother Betameche. En route, they are attacked on two occasions by Maltazard's soldiers. In Necropolis, Selenia kisses Arthur, marking him as her husband and potential successor, and confronts Maltazard alone. When Maltazard learns that she has already kissed Arthur and thus can no longer give him her powers and cure his corruption, he imprisons all three, who discover a Minimoy form of Archibald. Thereafter Arthur and his grandfather escape and return to human form, with little time to spare before Maltazard's flood reaches the Minimoys. With the help of Mino, a royal advisor's long-lost son, Arthur redirects the flood to Necropolis; whereupon Maltazard abandons Necropolis and his son, and the water ejects the rubies above ground. Archibald pays Davido with one ruby; and when he tries to take them all, the Bogo Matassalai capture him and give him to the authorities (scene deleted in the U.S. edition). The film ends with Arthur asking Selenia to wait for his return, and her agreement to do so.

Tags: alternate reality, fantasy, storytelling

Review:
The movie in the theater was wonderful...however now we have watched the DVD and the children are quite disappointed as many of the funny scenes have been cut out...this is the first time I have seen this happen.
The world of the Minimoys is well created and it is the animated sequences that are much more fun than the acted sequences even though Mia Farrow and Freddie Highmore keep the latter sequences alive while the rest of the actors don't.
The animation is lively, the vibrant colours and detail are fascinating, the characters are lovable, especially Princess Selenia and her brother and the voice casting (that includes Madonna, Harvey Keitel, Jason Bateman and more) is great.
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.
So, joining forces with an almost improbably beautiful princess, Arthur sets off on his perilous mission.The cast list reads like a Hollywood Who's Who. Robert de Niro, Harvey Keitel, Madonna and Mia Farrow all feature.
Jimmy Fallon's Betameche, while surely popular with the film's younger viewers, at times borders on the unbearably annoying; while the casting of forty- eight year old Madonna as Princess Selenia seems a little odd.
There are not too many clichés in it, and the little acting that is in the movie is quite good.I was a bit disappointed by the animations.
There are moments of awkwardness and disarray that made me burst out in laughters, which I find them to be a better kind of humor than most of the physical comedy in other animated movies.In the end, this is the kind of the feel good movie that brings warmth and smile for the whole family.
The amount of detail put into the movie was great the large shot of the house and the grounds to the room with all the old stuff in it.To the amount of detail put into the characters clothing and there personalities.I like that they gave you a story before the story even happened.
People i don't know why they says this movie is not good, i think it is an excellent movie, and this is one of my favorite 3D Animated (oriented) movies i have seen recently, Kids will love it, so as adults and i like the ending too, i just can't wait for a Sequel, Nice animation, and funny tooo, DOn't believe in what others say, if you like movies such as "Flushed Away", "Jumanji", "Zathura", "A Bugs Life", etc, you will definitely gonna love it......
Never before have I seen so many quotes and steals from so many other films (Star Wars, Antz, Bug's Life, The Borrowers and surprisingly Besson's own Fifth Element among others) without the film benefiting from any lessons learnt in story telling, comedy, action, and ways of engaging family audiences.
He was right.Maybe it's that bitter 26-year-old guy in me that just couldn't let go of that aching sarcasm that prevented me from really enjoying this half CGI animated/half live action film.
If Besson had just moved one step forward with his imagination, if the twists had been just a tad more original, if the ending hadn't felt so quick and rushed - I could have had a much better time.The plot line is easy to follow: 10 year-old Arthur, played by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate fame, lives in a small town with his grandmother, portrayed by Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby, The Purple Rose of Cairo).
Based on the book by Luc Besson and rumored to be his final directing project this is the story of Arthur who is spurred on by the tales of his missing grandfather to find the land of the Minimoys where a great treasure is hidden.
Its poorly written and not very interesting on the whole, though the stories of the grandfathers inventions and adventures are pretty neat.(I'm sure kids will have a better time with the film since they won't have seen it before).
A great imaginative movie worth keeping by a good director like luc besson.
When I seen the trailer of this movie I had to admit I didn't set my set my hopes up due to the idea of an animation neither less an animation by director Luc besson (The professional, The fifth Element, etc) But after seeing this movie it honestly brought be back to any great fantasy story when I was young no matter what fairies tale you read it puts that feeling to it and that's really a good and bold move on Mr. Besson's part for his swan song as director.
The movie follows the adventures of Augustus or Arthur (Freddie Highmore)who is living with his grandmother (Mia farrow) who's right now down on her luck after losing her husband and is on the verge of about to lose her land that was also her husband before his "disappearance" so following a story that the grandmother told Arthur he's immediately is trusted into a new world of the Minimoys a band of small Elvin people (which nearly look like those small troll creatures kids and teens had as toys in the early and mid 90's)on a quest to save their land and also help little Arthur find the treasure that can save their land once again and the rest is pure action/adventure from that point out.As you start this whole trip you will notice a band of cool voice actors to this role along the line with Robert De niro, Madonna, Jimmy fallon, Harvey Keitel, and even Emilio Estevez...
all of them played their part perfectly and kept the pace of the movie going very well but it was actually Arthur (Freddie Highmore) that took the movie; I first seen his work in Charlie and the chocolate factory and he kind of played that same character in this in some form...brave, concerned, as well as kind and that is not a bad thing it works for his character and David Bowie as the villain "The evil "M" was for me kind of hard to swallow but still it worked and gave the pace of the movie not to rushed and not to tiresome it was just right.I really don't have anything bad to say about this movie...EXCEPT the character themselves REALLY looked like those 90's troll dolls so its hard to listen to the voices and look at their characters and not think that its kind of funny but the kids will love it; but it had some cool fight scenes, cool interaction, and a cute little romantic iteration between Arthur and Princess Selenia's character which is really cute.
In the end, this movie is a excellent story driven fantasy adventures for both kids and adults which can equal itself out depending on who's watching it holds that feeling of danger, and peril and some parts might scare little kids but not that much still this is 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.
The fantasy CGI tale Arthur and the Minimoys  based on his own books  is his latest project and I must sadly tell you that it is not a good movie.
In order to prevent nasty land developers from taking away his impoverished grandmother's home, young Arthur enters the miniature world of the Minimoys (a tiny tribe that live in his garden) to search for a horde of valuable gems, hidden in the city of Necropolis, ruled by the evil Maltazard.With its muddled plot, dreadful direction, awful editing and thoroughly annoying characters, Arthur and the Invisibles is a charmless pile of fantasy drivel from none other than the hit-and-miss French director Luc Besson.
Mixing live action and passable CGI to tell his ill-conceived tale, Besson presents audiences with an hour and a half of incoherent tosh that would test the patience of a saint.Arthur and the Invisibles longs to be the kind of magical movie experience that becomes loved by generations (eg.,The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Labyrinth), but fails miserably.
Despite borrowing heavily from these far superior fantasy classics (even going so far as to use David Bowie for chief bad-guy and feature a Death Star-style attack sequence), Besson and his team still manage to screw up big-time.The many action scenes lack any sense of excitement, the comedy falls flat, and the convoluted plot relies way too much on coincidence, improbable contrivances, and a voice over to occasionally explain what the hell is going on.
The voice talent is also ill considered, with Robert De Niro once again proving that he should stay well away from CGI animated films, and Madonna playing the love interest for a ten-year-old boy!!According to IMDb's trivia, Luc Besson said that this will be his last movie as a director.
Besson has weaved a magical fantasy adventure, combining live action and delightful 3D animation which is absolutely stunning, and not forgetting a memorable, simple yet strong story to carry the movie through, rather than rehashed juvenile tales that put you to sleep.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, Arthur and the Minimoys has its own saccharine sweet backstory developed, leading to an inevitable ending of which it isn't pessimistic about.
Here, Arthur is played by Freddie Highmore, last seen in A Good Year, and I thought he's slowly adding to his resume with credible performances all round in the various movies he's in.
Lending star power to the movie are the voice talents of (in the English version), check this out - Madonna, Robert De Niro, Jimmy Falon, Harvey Keitel, Snoop Dogg, and David Bowie, who seems to be on a slowburner to making movies these days.Arthur and the Minimoys is full of love - between Arthur and Selenia the Minimoy Princess (all animated movies must have lovebirds, you know?), and more importantly, between family members.
a film for every age because Luc Besson gives not only a quality animation but a lovely story.
yes, it is not the best movie and many critics are expected from viewers but to be a masterpiece is not the purpose of director but a form of entertainment who gives to children nice story, to adults memories about golden age.
The action sequences are reasonably fun, exciting and well and inventively animated, if a few too many, the film's lessons and messages are good and don't feel preachy, and there are a few amusing and sweet moments, the grandfather's journal was a beautiful touch.
Luc Besson's first ever foray into animation, and only second foray into film-making as a whole for six years, provides us with a curious little piece called Aruthr et les Minimoys.
The film offers wonderful entertainment for kids as it shoots along its fantastical route of warm, family infused environments; some threat in the form of an outside force attempting to put pay to the set up; an escape into an alternate universe in which a colourful array of characters and rules govern that particular space; as well as a series of animated scenes acting as sheer spectacle once the narrative has got rolling.The film is primarily concerned with a young boy and his escape from one world, or 'reality', into another.
It's good to see a lead female in this type of film, not as a prize to be rescued and won, but as an action infused side-kick.Along the way, very basic but necessary ideas linked to team-work will sprout up with the aim to target any kids watching, I'm sure.
One thing I really liked is that the movie switched from reality into him shrinking into a minmoy and becoming animated and in the end they don't use he was dreaming but that all what his granny thought was just imagination (all the stories his grandfather wrote about the minimoys and etc...) was in fact reality.
The fantasy plot begin to seem paint by numbers rather than original, the live-action acting is occasionally caricature rather than character, the voice overs rushed and seem badly dubbed.On the plus side, the animated characters showed some interesting creativity and there were some good moments between the characters both good and bad.
1st watched 1/25/2008, 7 out of 10(Dir-Luc Besson): Fun and entertaining live-action/animated movie based on a beloved book.
According to filmmaker Luc Besson, Arthur and the Invisibles (or Minimoys as should be more appropriate, the little elvish what-have-you's are never mentioned as Invisibles in the American dub despite the title) will be his final film as director.
The problem is that they can't contribute much more than their personalities, and after the factor of "heh, it's Snoop Dogg" wears off, it's the same kind of sinking feeling one might get in watching something like Ghost Rider- you really can't believe what you're seeing on screen is really what you're seeing.Maybe it's a reaction from someone who isn't a kid anymore, but it still probably would seem silly and too over-the-top to take too seriously as a legitimately entertaining fantasy adventure if I was a lot younger.
The animation may be nice, and the action finally kicks in and gives the little ones something to marvel at, but the same general apathy that hounds this doomed project lingers throughout, and every unnecessarily famous voice actor involved short of Highmore knows it, from the sound of their dull readings.Even if Arthur and the Invisibles managed to keep a fast pace, a funny approach, and a visually intense experience the whole way through, it would hardly qualify for a bona fide experience.
After several years of inactivity as a director(but with a lot of work as a producer and screenwriter),Luc Besson returns with the film Arthur and the Minimoys,which is very mediocre and it's the worst film in Besson's career as a director.Arthur and the Minimoys combines persons of flesh and bones with animation.The movie has a lot of clichés and it has the typical formula of an underrated kid who really is a hero.That's a very common childish fantasy...but I have seen that formula on so many things that I'm tired of that.The performances are well.Freddie Highmore and Mia Farrow have both good performances and,on the animated characters,we have the voices of Madonna,Robert De Niro,David Bowie,etc.
My Take: Flat story-telling and animation wastes its good intentions.You'd either love Luc Besson's own hand work or hate how cheaply done the final product is.
Now, just throw in a bunch of talented people including director Besson, Mia Farrow, David Bowie, Emilio Estevez, Madonna (that's for singing, not for acting), and a couple others and you've got a certified finished product which the kids will want to see, and adults may want to get a good look at it.
The story (did I mention it was actually quite good?) as much to hyper to make much sense, the animation (while I wasn't exactly expecting Pixar-quality products) looked like a bunch of annoying (as in overly cute) robots made to look like Brats dolls and unlike better family films of the kind, ARTHUR rarely appeals to the adults in the audience.
Really, check the original version is way lot better.Changing topic (because this thing won't let me post until I complete ten lines and I've already said all that I wanted to say) the principal actor Freddie Highmore is really surprising me, I loved him on the Charlie's Chocolate Factory and he's been doing a great work since then, I think is just matter of time for this kid to make the big jump to the great leagues, I think he will surprise us on a maybe not so far future..
I have seen a lot of children's movies out there that have used CGI animation and other techniques to make a film more attractive to an audience, of both kids and adults.
But the real actors in between played out so badly that the whole of the film came down to the ground like a brick falling from the sky.The kid, a nearly 8 year old, loved it.
The animation in this movie were wonderful, but the plot- the plot was enough to make my head pound.Arthur, a lonely little 10 year old boy, sets out to save his family's home by traveling into the world of the Minimoys.
It was a long time since I watched this movie in the theaters.Almost 4 years ago.It was one of the best movie choices I ever did.First of all,I have to say that this is a movie that everyone will enjoy.It's adventurous and fantastic,the worlds underneath a garden(and in a garden!)are magical and no one would ever imagine there could be such creatures in such a simple place!I think that this gives a hope to younger children that they could have Minimoys in their garden,like I did years ago.It's fantastic,the fights and the adventures that Arthur passes with his two fellows,Selenia and her brother Betameche!A magic journey,that you'd wish you could experience too!I suggest it with no worries,it's one of the best animated movies and it's the first movie of the sequel Arthur and The Minimoys!You better watch the next two ones afterwards to live a long,magic adventure!I did so and I definitely didn't regret it!(Also,I would like to advise you to ignore the details and the goofs,because it doesn't worth to aware of them,they are really unimportant to the plot of the movie and unfortunately a lot of people did here.)Ten stars out of 10 and it deserves it,because in case you didn't know,in 1999 Luc Besson and Patrice Garcia started to work on it and everything(the whole sequel)ended in 2010!Arthur and the Minimoys is a great movie!Watch it with your children,friends or on your own,but one thing is sure;you'll enjoy the adventure!