Arthur et les Minimoys

I've had the privilege of watching the worldwide premiere of Arthur and the Minimoys on Friday, December 1st 2006. French director Luc Besson (Leon, The Fifth Element) arrived at the "Yes Planet" theater in Ramat-Gan, Israel early afternoon, to attend the show. Right before the screening began, he asked the audience to open it's heart, and added something about the film being aimed mainly for kids. 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. Maybe it's the fact that i've just seen so many similar products through the course of my life, that I found it heard to be excited or (god forbid) enthusiastic during this one. Whatever the cause, I couldn't help but reaching the eventual conclusion that Arthur and the Minimoys didn't live up to it's potential. 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). It's the early 1960's and Arthur, who is neglected by his parents, escapes his loneliness by hearing stories of his absent grandfather's journeys to imaginative lands. Reality, however, is grim, as Grandpa has been missing for three years and Grandma must raise a large sum of money in 48 hours, or her land will be seized by the local authorities. Determined to save the property, Arthur sets out on a journey to the land of the Minimoys, extremely small beings who live in his garden, in search of expensive rubies that can put an end to Grandma's debts. From here on out the story turns CGI, as Arthur is shrinked to the size of an average Minimoy himself. On his journey, he falls in love with princess Selenia (voiced by Madonna), befriends a rastaman underground dweller named Max (Snoop Dog) and faces the evil being referred to as "M" (David Bowie).

While the animation is colorful and filled with imagination, the plot moves so fast you don't have much time to really notice the details. Also, there are some supposedly subtle remarks about sex, marriage and corrupt leaders which I don't think are fully appropriate for kids.

Bottom Line, Arthur and the Minimoys is an OK ride, but nothing we haven't seen before. From the recent animated The Ant Bully, through the classic 1980's Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the famed story of King Arthur and even The Matrix - it's all homaged, if not copied, in this new entry.

Every now and then it's nice to be reminded of the power of the imagination; of what it was like as children to escape to other worlds and embark on remarkable adventures. 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. It's a story which echoes, and affectionately pays homage to, many of the very best Children's stories. Stories such as The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland and The Borrowers.

The tale's young hero, Arthur, is battling to save his grandparents' home from the clutches of real estate developers. His grandfather is missing, but handily he's left the boy a series of clues to a hidden treasure trove which, if it's found, could be used to pay off the money- grubbing developers. But this is no straight-forward, stroll in the park search. In trying to find the haul Arthur must unlock the passageway to an underground world populated by curious, minute creatures. The home of these "invisibles" is also in peril: in their case, because of a malevolent wizard. 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. 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. The look of Maltazard's henchmen exemplify the darker side of Luc Besson's previous work but their idiocy prevents them being too terrifying for smaller children.

The film isn't flawless. 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. Her performance is perfectly adequate, but in effect she spends most of the time flirting with a schoolchild. Strange.

But the gems in Arthur and the Invisibles far outshine any minor negatives. Mixing live action with CGI could quite easily look messy and unconvincing but, quite simply, it works and while there's always a danger of such a tale descending into saccharine sludge, thankfully that doesn't happen. Arthur's quest is a joy to follow; it deserves to be anything but invisible.

Took my nine-year old daughter and we both really enjoyed it. I found the animated portions far more engaging than the human-acted portions, but that wasn't a real distraction. The other commenters on the film here in IMDb seem to be very annoyed by the lack of a completely cohesive plot, but hey, this isn't Citizen Kane! We really work hard to find films we will take our daughter to see, and having viewed the preview some time ago, I was happy to stumble upon the opening of this movie this weekend. I can guarantee that we'll see it again before it leaves the theatres and will likely purchase the DVD. The violence was minimal and well-handled (vague battle scenes), the scary parts not over-the-top scary, and the light touch with the romance was appreciated by the mom of a pre-pre-teen. Nice family movie.

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...... I don't wanna talk about the story because it might spoil the fun, Just go ahead and watch it, You'll thank me later for putting up this review, I hope IMDb will someday have better method of reviewing movies, and recommending movie's alike each other.

First of all, the rating of this movie doesn't do its justice. I just finished watching this movie and truly enjoyed the experience.

The story sets in the era of great depression in US. A brave young kid took upon himself the task of saving the family house from the aggressive developer . Though the backdrop of the story were presented in real world (verses animation), the main adventure and action took place in a fantasy realm done in computer animations. This contrast, while a unique and fresh take on movie making, brought its main criticism I guess. Some may find the plot defies logic and common sense because of the realistic premises. Others like me doesn't find it a hindrance but rather a nice change of pace and perspective.

Technically speaking, the animation was really nicely done and the world has a unique look and artistic touch to it. The flow of the story goes really fast and sometime I felt that things are all happening at too much an opportune moment. It is as if the big events in the world of Minimoys has been waiting just for the arrival of Arthur. It is the catch 22 of movie making I guess. On one hand you want to pack in all the stories and actions in less than 2 hours. On the other hand, you don't want audience feel like the world was just created in a hurry so you can tell the story.

The characters are all very likable. Especially the minimoys, even the bad guys has certain feel of cuteness to them. Some humor are lost in translation I guess consider it's done by a French director. Still there are nice touches in detail here and there that give the characters the kind of Charm and personality you may not find in the usual Hollywood characters. 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. In the process, it takes you on a magical ride that filled with wonders and unexpected laughters. It defied some logics, broke a few physic laws, and filled some background stories in a rush. But it never dampened the infectious spirit, of a courageous young boy, who still wanted to believe in miracles and would never give up even in the most desperate moment. If you are like me, you would find yourself walk away with a little bit of that spirit in you.