Looks like European animation is still light years behind the US and Japan. Thank goodness for Highmore and Farrow — if only the whole film had been live-action.
Arthur and the Invisibles (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:86
Fresh:18
Rotten:68
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Arthur wastes its big-name voice talent on a predictable script and substandard CG animation.
Rated: U [See Full Rating] for fantasy action and brief suggestive material.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:02-02-2007
Synopsis: Director Luc Besson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) tries his hand at a children's film with ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES. Based on a book, this adventure follows Arthur (Freddie Highmore) as he journeys in his... Director Luc Besson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) tries his hand at a children's film with ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES. Based on a book, this adventure follows Arthur (Freddie Highmore) as he journeys in his own backyard to save his home from greedy land developers. When his grandfather disappears, Freddie follows a series of clues that lead him to the land of the Minimoys (aka the Invisibles). Arthur's entrance into their realm takes the film from live-action to computer animation, changing Arthur from a 10-year-old boy into one of the Minimoys. The elf-like people he encounters are so tiny that insects dwarf them. Their warrior princess (voiced by Madonna) is ready to ascend the throne of the tiny kingdom. But first she and Arthur must join forces to outwit the evil Malthazar (voiced by David Bowie), who is intent on destroying the kindhearted race. ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES boasts a cast of talented actors. Mia Farrow plays Arthur's concerned grandmother, which is quite a change from her malevolent nanny in THE OMEN. The trio of musicians-turned-actors (Madonna, Snoop Dogg, and Bowie) are all fun in their vocal roles, and Bowie particularly shines as the villain. 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 adults-only fare like LA FEMME NIKITA, he brings a sense of childlike awe to this project. [More]
Starring: Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Freddie Highmore
Starring: Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Bateman, Harvey Keitel, Anthony Anderson, Chazz Palminteri
Director: Luc Besson
Director: Luc Besson
Screenwriter: Celine Garcia
Producer: Emmanuel Prevost
Composer: Eric Serra
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for Arthur and the Invisibles
In a clear-cut case of arrested development, the film that crowns Luc Besson's career is a magical phantasmagoria for the kids, and a derivative mess for their parents.
Luc Besson’s half-baked live-action/animated fantasy looks like it was invented on the hoof: it’s erratically plotted, poorly animated, overly derivative and too insufferably cute to interest anyone above undemanding toddler age.
Brightly coloured fantasy adventure with a decent premise, but the animated sections don't really work, despite the efforts of a talented cast.
Besson's labour of love is a feast for the eyes but leaves the imagination distinctly undernourished.
Here is an overproduced, oversugared semi-animated children's fantasy adventure from Luc Besson that made me want to cringe into my plush seat, never to re-emerge.
Several parts of the narrative don't gel, feeling designed simply to look cool or sound funny.
It took me a few minutes to get used to the strange look of the Minimoy universe in 'Arthur and the Invisibles,' but I soon became enchanted with it.
Admirably blends animation and live-action and has a lot on offer for kids, though adults will probably yawn more than once at the predictable twists and turns of the plot.
In a year when a lot of big-screen animation felt like it came rolling off the video game assembly line, a little originality goes a long way.
Essentially, though, the star is Besson himself, pulling out all the stops to give Pixar a run for their money.
Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles clears the smog left behind by the year's dubious family entertainments.
A candy-colored fusion of Dahl, Dr. Seuss and the director's own mischeviousness
They look like a cross between anime and Jim Henson puppets. Fortunately, they look nothing like Pixar, PDI, Sony Animation or any of the other talking animal companies.
Predictable and overly busy, this sci-fi adventure should nonetheless appeal to game-savvy tots, especially those familiar with the source material.
This is no committee-engineered product designed to boost first-quarter profits; Besson actually wants to be here.
The story isn't terribly original, but Besson gives it a fuel-injected energy...
Luc Besson has never been one of my favorite filmmakers, but he seems to have found his metier in children's fantasy, and this semianimated adventure is enjoyable and imaginative despite its formulaic qualities.
Whatever its flaws, Arthur and the Invisibles has a handmade, personal feel that finally affords it a cockeyed endearing quality.
It might have been just another humdrum children's film if not for Highmore, who brings the same charm he did in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland to this fun movie.
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