Strange and kind of meandering.
Arthur and the Invisibles (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:4
Rotten:20
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: Arthur wastes its big-name voice talent on a predictable script and substandard CG animation.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for fantasy action and brief suggestive material.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:Jan 12, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $15,004,318
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
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
May 15, 2007
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Additional Release Material:
Music Video:
- 1. "Quest For Love" - Jewel
- 2. "Beautiful Day" - Elijah
Trailers:
- 1. The Chosen Trailer from the 'Make Your Own Arthur"
- 2. Theatrical Trailer
Featurette:
- 1. The Voices of Arthur and The Invisibles
- 2. In the Recording Studio with Jewel
Interactive Features:
Interactive Games:
- 1. Mash-Up Game
Reviews for Arthur and the Invisibles
Luc Besson has made a fair share of artfully bad movies. Arthur and the Invisibles -- half-live-action, half-CG kid's adventure -- is (by a hair) more bad-bad, like The Fifth Element, than good-bad, like The Big Blue.
While technically polished and adequately executed Arthur, like most of Besson's movies, is a strangely soulless experience.
Besson is a pro when it comes to action movies, but this part live, part animation effort is a mess, highlighted by creepy animation, derivative plot points and a child star who speaks way too fast.
Luc Besson serves up a hybrid of live actors and computer-generated figures to tell a not-endearing-enough story about a boy who shrinks to microscopic size to find his missing grandfather.
This kids' cartoon from France is such a surreally demented attempt to connect with children that it's the equivalent of foie gras breakfast cereal or a bleu cheese milkshake.
Good intentions, a full complement of parts, and proper assembly do not guarantee a successful result.
Arthur and the Invisibles may be a tale for children, but it's got the bad habits of a profligate adult -- the thing borrows shamelessly from its betters and then pretends to be self-sustaining.
An odd imp of a movie, Arthur and the Invisibles may actually be filled with a bit too much invention for the average kid.
Too eccentric for kids, too silly for everyone else, it floats in a Neverland of breathtaking visuals in service of a story that pilfers everything (and I mean everything) from the Arthur legends to last summer's The Ant Bully.
There are too many things out of whack here, and too many unanswered questions.
The movie bing-bing-bings all over the place, repurposing fantasy novels, video games, Arthurian legends. Besson's grocery bill for all I know. Even the musical score has multiple-personality disorder.
Luc Besson, the most-Hollywoodish of Gallic directors, has adapted his own series of popular (in France) kid-lit tomes to produce a glossy, expensive ($84 million) and long-winded mix of live action and computer animation.
Essentially, though, the star is Besson himself, pulling out all the stops to give Pixar a run for their money.
A mishmash with a distinctive but disorderly animation palette whose top-notch voice cast -- including Robert De Niro, Madonna and David Bowie -- gets lost in the muck.
This children's epic is slowed considerably by a convoluted, multi-tiered plotline in which we bounce between the human world and the Minimoy one. None of the characters are compelling, despite the star-studded vocal cast behind them.
There's no time to sort out the players or the story as things rush ahead at an overwrought pace. Huge amounts of backstory are just plopped down in front of us, so fast and furiously that it makes little sense.
Arthur and the Invisibles makes an excellent case against casting animated movies with celebrity voices. There are people who make their living as voiceover artists, and they would have been infinitely better than the lackluster Robert De Niro.
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.
Latest News for Arthur and the Invisibles
January 10, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Captain Jack and Captain Morgan Set Sail
For the first time in three weeks, studios will pack a Friday with plenty of new releases as four films open or expand nationwide giving the box office chart a major shakeup.... More...
July 30, 2007:
Frank Miller Faults Weinsteins for Sin City 2 Delay
While sitting on a Comic Con panel, Frank Miller was asked about the hold-up on Sin City 2. (Numerous times, probably.) And it looks like the celebrated author / artist /... More...
March 19, 2007:
Rolling Stones Get Animated With "Ruby Tuesday"
Back in the psychedelic '60s, The Beatles got animated for the film "Yellow Submarine." Four decades later, it's the competition's turn. The Rolling Stones have... More...
January 15, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: "Stomp" Steps All Over New Releases
Stomping into the number one spot over the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend was the college dance drama "Stomp the Yard," which grossed an estimated $22M in... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Arthur and the Invisibles at Rotten Tomatoes
- Arthur and the Invisibles at IGN
- Arthur and the Invisibles at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

TECHLAND gives us a first look at the extras, including Leonard Nimoy's last day on set!

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


