Arthur et les Minimoys
January 16th 2007 03:19
Arthur et les Minimoys (Arthur and the Invisibles) (2006)
Animation/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Comedy
Arthur and the Invisibles is the story of ten-year-old Arthur (Freddie Highmore) and his last minute crusade to recover hidden treasure buried in his backyard in an effort to save his house from demolition.
Arthur lives with his grandmother (Mia Farrow) and enthusiastically soaks up the bedtime stories she tells him about his Grandfather and his amazing African adventures prior to his mysterious disappearance. One of these stories is of the Minimoys, a tribe of minuscule little characters that lived in Africa but whom Arthur’s grandfather brought back the United States with him on his return, effectively recolonising them in his own backyard. With them, Arthur’s Grandfather hid a cluster of precious rubies and it is these rubies that Arthur sets out on his own adventure to recover.
Arthur and the Invisibles is the latest offering from French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and took over 700 staff and an astronomical five years to come to fruition. With the assistance of the renowned CG director, Pierre Buffin (Matrix, Human Nature), Besson was able to discard traditional animation techniques and instead blended live action and 3D animation, using real actors during filming to give the Minimoys a more realistic and detailed effect.
It is clear that much of the focus in this film was put on the animation itself and in many ways the story suffers for it. The script is highly derivative and leaves a lot to be desired. Kids will enjoy it for its delightful characters and adventure theme but other than the animation techniques, there sadly is nothing new here.
The celebrity voices of Madonna as the Princess Selenia and Snoop Dogg as the cool and witty club owner, Max, will give older audiences a thrill as will the deep resonating tones of Pop icon David Bowie as the evil nemesis, Maltazard. Jimmy Fallon is delightful as Betameche, but probably the biggest triumph in the cast is Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Arthur. His performance is rich, honest and at many times incredibly touching. Arthur and the Invisibles is worth a look just to see this kid in action.
Animation/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Comedy
Arthur and the Invisibles is the story of ten-year-old Arthur (Freddie Highmore) and his last minute crusade to recover hidden treasure buried in his backyard in an effort to save his house from demolition.
Arthur lives with his grandmother (Mia Farrow) and enthusiastically soaks up the bedtime stories she tells him about his Grandfather and his amazing African adventures prior to his mysterious disappearance. One of these stories is of the Minimoys, a tribe of minuscule little characters that lived in Africa but whom Arthur’s grandfather brought back the United States with him on his return, effectively recolonising them in his own backyard. With them, Arthur’s Grandfather hid a cluster of precious rubies and it is these rubies that Arthur sets out on his own adventure to recover.
Arthur and the Invisibles is the latest offering from French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and took over 700 staff and an astronomical five years to come to fruition. With the assistance of the renowned CG director, Pierre Buffin (Matrix, Human Nature), Besson was able to discard traditional animation techniques and instead blended live action and 3D animation, using real actors during filming to give the Minimoys a more realistic and detailed effect.
The celebrity voices of Madonna as the Princess Selenia and Snoop Dogg as the cool and witty club owner, Max, will give older audiences a thrill as will the deep resonating tones of Pop icon David Bowie as the evil nemesis, Maltazard. Jimmy Fallon is delightful as Betameche, but probably the biggest triumph in the cast is Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Arthur. His performance is rich, honest and at many times incredibly touching. Arthur and the Invisibles is worth a look just to see this kid in action.
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Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Ash
Flashes of memories
The animation was very good and the characters were adorable. Perhaps it is the inner child in me it appealed to.......
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Thanks for the review (and for saving me $15).
Comment by Emma
I have very high standards when it comes to scriptwork and turn my nose up at pieces that are overly derivative. Of course, this is all just my opinion. If you're an animation nut you'd probably be enthralled. I think a good family movie should be appropriate for young and old and sometimes it can be difficult to obtain the perfect balance. It was a sweet, cute film but definitely left me a little disappointed.
So yeah, Adrian, I'd wait for DVD.