Stars: Mia Farrow, Freddie Highmore

Director: Luc Besson

Summary:

Based on his book ARTHUR ET LES MINIMOYS, Luc Besson tries his hand at directing a kids’ film for the first time. The result is as vibrant and enchanting as one might expect from the man who gave us THE FIFTH ELEMENT. The adventure gets underway when 10-year-old Arthur (Freddie Highmore) discovers a set of notebooks belonging to his grandfather who went missing four years ago. In them, he wrote of an ‘invisible’ people no taller than half an inch - a people so small that they are dwarfed by insects! Are these just the fanciful stories of an eccentric old man, or is the truth stranger than fiction? Arthur finds the answer hidden in one of his grandfather’s clues and is magically transported to the Invisibles’ realm. It’s at this point that the film shifts gear from live-action to beautifully rendered computer animation. Joining forces with Madonna’s feisty Princess Selenia, Arthur attempts to outwit the dastardly wizard Maltazard (voiced to villainous perfection by David Bowie), and foil his plans to destroy their tiny kingdom. The film boats an impressive array of talent including Mia Farrow--as Arthur’s concerned grandmother--and a trio of musicians-turned-actors (Madonna, Snoop Dogg, and Bowie). Other standouts include Robert De Niro, Jimmy Fallon, Harvey Keitel, and Jason Bateman, while Highmore brings the same wide-eyed wonder to the screen as he did in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. In fact, ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES shares a similar imaginative spirit with the works of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl. Though Besson’s previous films have been grown-up fare like LA FEMME NIKITA, he brings a sense of childlike awe to this project.

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First released in France, Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles is a touching computer animated adventure that makes up in look and in character for what it lacks in narrative originality. As a direct hybrid of Excalibur and A Bug's Life, Arthur stars a heroic ten year-old, Arthur (Freddie Highmore), who draws a sword from a stone to fight a miniature battle in the garden before finding treasure valuable enough to save his grandfather's farm from purchase by developers. Arthur's grandfather, Archibald, having long ago discovered the miniscule world of Minimoys, garden gnome-like elves that lived in his yard, shrunk himself in order to hunt elusive rubies that were hidden in their evil Mecropolis, headed by Maltazard (David Bowie). Now Arthur must assist the benevolent Minimoy clan, ruled by The King (Robert De Niro) and Princess Selenia (Madonna), in challenging Maltazard for possession of the jewels. Shots taking the viewer down through grass blades into the microscopic, yet gigantic yard world readjust one's sense of size, as do scenes, for example, in which a small, elven Arthur fights mosquitoes with catapulted tomatoes. Meanwhile, live action scenes of Arthur's worried grandmother (Mia Farrow) provide respite from a completely computerized world. Bowie, as he did in Legend, steals the show, bringing to life his Darth Vader-like character who chose evil over good in a past adventure. Corny one-liners sometimes spoil the mood, but overall the film's thematic blend of fantasy and environmentalism, like Princess Mononoke, will delight children with its positive message. --Trinie Dalton

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	The Voices of Arthur And The Invisibles, Jewel music video, In the recording studio with Jewel, ?Beautiful Day? music video, Theatrical trailer
Year:	2007
Release Date:	November 30, 1999
Runtime:	89 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M P 694 D
Keywords:	Animated, Arthur, English, Childrens, Invisibles
Genre:	Childrens