A candy-colored fusion of Dahl, Dr. Seuss and the director's own mischeviousness
Arthur and the Invisibles (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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: 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
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.
Uma fábula divertida e inocente que conta com uma eficiente animação digital e traz Besson em um bom momento, o que é algo cada vez mais raro.
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.
Things unfold in rote fashion, with nature-based gadgetry no more clever than those of The Flintstones.
The Minimoys are teeny-weeny kind folk with a keen fashion sense and a wicked-cool lair. They're just like what the Borrowers would have been like if they had lived in the field behind the Urban Outfitters production factory.
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.
A lazy fairy-tale pastiche reveling in mite-size cherubs, which cribs from gnomic mythology, elvish lore, Harry Potter, Arthurian legend and can’t-pay-the-rent melodrama.
Brightly coloured fantasy adventure with a decent premise, but the animated sections don't really work, despite the efforts of a talented cast.
I'm not sure what creeped me out most in Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Invisibles," the awful animation or Madonna lending her voice to a "child" princess.
Besson's labour of love is a feast for the eyes but leaves the imagination distinctly undernourished.
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.
The story is just incoherent, and the faster it moves, the more frantic it seems.
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.
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.
With its Day-Glo colors and fast pace, this $80 million live action/animated film may be the first acid trip for kids.
Whatever its flaws, Arthur and the Invisibles has a handmade, personal feel that finally affords it a cockeyed endearing quality.
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

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

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



