Arthur et les Minimoys (2006)

Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Céline Garcia, Luc Besson,

Stars:

Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Madonna

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Highmore	...	Arthur
Mia Farrow	...	Granny
Ron Crawford	...	Archibald (voice)
Penny Balfour	...	Arthur's Mother
Doug Rand	...	Arthur's Father
Adam LeFevre	...	Davido
Jean Bejote Njamba	...	Massai Chief
Saul Jephcott	...	Police Officer #1
Lee Delong	...	Saleslady (as Lee de Long)
Christian Erickson	...	Antique Dealer
Eric Balliet	...	Mover #1
Oxmo Puccino	...	Mover #2
Robert William Bradford	...	Baliff
Jerry Di Giacomo	...	Repairman (voice)
Bienvenue Kindoki	...	Matassalai #1

Storyline

Arthur is a spirited ten-year old whose parents are away looking for work, whose eccentric grandfather has been missing for several years, and who lives with his grandmother in a country house that, in two days, will be repossessed, torn down, and turned into a block of flats unless Arthur's grandfather returns to sign some papers and pay off the family debt. Arthur discovers that the key to success lies in his own descent into the land of the Minimoys, creatures no larger than a tooth, whom his grandfather helped relocate to their garden. Somewhere among them is hidden a pile of rubies, too. Can Arthur be of stout heart and save the day? Romance beckons as well, and a villain lurks.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | debt | garden | boy | ruby | 

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Taglines:

A huge adventure for the whole family.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 2007 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Arthur et les Minimoys

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Budget:

€65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,185,603 (UK) (2 February 2007)

Gross:

$15,131,330 (USA) (4 May 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, Avalanche Productions, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Luc Besson said that this will be his last movie as a director, but later changed his mind.

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Goofs

In the end credits, humans in Minimoy form only have four fingers like real Minimoys, instead of five like Arthur and Archibald.

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Crazy Credits

The credits feature the characters walking by the names of their voice actors and sometimes pausing briefly to wave. The human characters (Arthur's grandmother, parents,etc.) are in Minimoy form. Luc Besson is also seen in Minimoy form.

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Connections

References The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

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Soundtracks

Lonesome Town
Written by Baker Knight
Performed by Ricky Nelson
© EMI Catalogue Partnership / EMI Unart Catalogue INC / Matragun Music Inc
Courtesy of EMI Catalogue Partnership France, Sony ATV Music Publishing France and EMI Music France

User Reviews

Touching, warming and imaginative fun ride

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.