Arthur e il popolo dei Minimei

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.

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.

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. For example the two kisses between Arthur and Selinia...the dance with Max...when the parents are digging for the treasure...the part where the buyer tries to steal the treasure....the part where the coconut breaks and Arthur asks Selinia for the string on her top for him to climb...when they were almost kissing and Selinia's brother said she had to wait for the next ten years....when they are sleeping in the flower and Selinia wakes Arthur has his arm around her...these are just a few of the scenes the children have noticed on our first viewing.

'Arthur et les Minimoys' is a charming little children's adventure film. 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. There has been some nice creative input behind the making of the world of Minimoys. 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. The adventure with Arthur, Selenia and her brother is fun and engaging. How often do you get to see characters sleeping on a cosy bed of pollen, straws being used as a water supply or figures dancing on a moving LP disk? The romance between Selenia and Arthur is well handled. Moreover the film balances the comedy, fantasy and adventure feel very well. Overall, 'Arthur et les Minimoys' is a cute little fun film. Clearly, Luc Besson's intention was to make a children's film and he has succeeded in making a nice one.

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.