ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES

"We are the Minimoys"

When Arthur's (Highmore) Grandmother's (Farrow) home is threatened with demolition, he has to find his missing Grandfather and the ruby's that could save his home. To do this he has to believe in the stories that this Grandfather has told him all his life and look for the Minimoys, a race of extremely small people that life in garden. But the Minimoys have their own problems because the evil Maltazard (Bowie) is about to attack their kingdom.

Director Luc Besson makes his first foray into animation but can he bring his visionary Gallic flair to a family audience?

Anyone who is a fan of the French filmmaker should have been excited about 'Arthur and the Invisibles', especially after delivering a cavalcade of hits like 'The Fifth Element', 'Leon', 'La Femme Nikita', 'Taxi', 'The Transporter' and 'Unleashed', as a director and producer. Unfortunately he doesn't make the transition from the action and adult driven genres to a more family friendly approach with ease.

The problem with 'Arthur and the Invisibles' is that the story is far too complicated for a young audience. While, with a little bit of imagination, we can accept that these incredibly small characters could live underneath Arthur's garden, in their own small world but it is the complexity of the back-story and how they actually got there, that will confuse younger and older viewers alike. The battle between the peaceful Minimoys and the evil Maltazard is slightly brushed over and is used as a way of connecting the many action sequences that are scattered throughout the film. The mix of animation and real world footage is also a little strange, making the world of the Minimoys look very out of place.

The animation itself is extremely good however, capturing the style and flair that you would expect from a Luc Besson film. The character designs are very creative, with the Minimoys looking like a cross between elves, pixies and fairies and Maltazard and his forces looking lizard/reptile like. The creation of the world they inhabit is also visually pleasing, combining human influences with the traditions of the Minimoys.

Luc Besson has gathered together an impressive vocal cast to bring the Minimoys and Maltazard to life. Music, TV and film combine to provide a mix of proper vocal performances (when you can't tell who is providing the voice) and artist bringing their unique vocal styles to the movie. Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, Harvey Keitel, Chazz Palminteri, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Anderson, Jason Bateman, David Bowie and Robert De Niro all have fun with their roles and are not that recognisable as the inhabitants of the Minimoys world but you instantly know it is Snoop Dogg providing the voice of Max, the club owning, DJ Minimoy. Freddy Highmore and Mia Farrow also have fun in the real, human world as Arthur and Granny, with Freddy also providing the voice of the Minimoy version of Arthur.

'Arthur and the Invisibles' is visually impressive but very shallow family movie. While the look of the movie is amazingly good, the story itself is too complicated and uninvolving to really draw you into the movie. Fans of Luc Besson will be very disappointed with this first attempt at a family film and it will make you think that he should stick with action.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good, highlighting the excellent computer generated animation.

BONUS FEATURES

The Voices of Arthur and the Invisibles (7.08 mins)
Vocal stars Freddie Highmore, Anthony Anderson, Snoop Dog, Jimmy Fallon, Chazz Palminteri, Rob and Nathan Corddry and Jason Bateman talk about their characters in 'Arthur and the Invisibles'. The group talk about providing the voices for their characters and what it was like working with Luc Besson.

'Quest for Love' Music Video performed by Jewel (3.15 mins)
Watch the promotional video for the movie with the beautiful and talent singer Jewel.

In the recording studio with Jewel (2.17 mins)
Watch the singer/songwriter recording the song and talk about its place in the movie.

'Beautiful Day' Music Video performed by Elijah (3.21 mins)
Watch the promotional video for the movie performed by the young star

The Chosen Trailer from the 'Make your own Arthur and the Invisibles Movie Mash-up' game (2.15 mins)
The winner of the chose your own trailer competition

Theatrical Trailer (2.32 mins)
The promotional trailer for the cinematic release of 'Arthur and the Invisibles'

Trailers
Previews of 'The Nanny Diaries', 'Miss Potter', 'Stormbreaker', 'Hoodwinked' and 'Doogle'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Arthur and the Invisibles' is a little lack lustre. With only a short featurette and some music videos, fans of the film will be very disappointed.

DVD

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2007