Arthur and the Minimoys
(film)
Arthur and the Minimoys (Arthur
and the Invisibles in English-speaking territories) is a part animated, part live
action feature film adaptation of the same name, 2002 children's book and the
2003 sequel Arthur et la cité interdite / Arthur and the Forbidden City
by filmmaker Luc Besson, who also directed the film. It premiered in limited release
in France on November 29, 2006, and received wide releases in a number of countries
in the following weeks. In the US, it opened on December 29, 2006, for one week
in Los Angeles, California, with a wider release on January 12, 2007 (February
2, 2007 in the UK).
Tagline : Adventure awaits in your own backy
Cast
Freddie Highmore - Arthur
Mia Farrow - Granny
Penny Balfour - Arthur's Mother
Doug Rand - Arthur's Father
Adam LeFevre - Davido
Jean Bejote Njamba
- Massai Chief
Serge Blumental - Electrician
Madonna - Princess Selenia (voice: English version)
Jimmy Fallon - Betameche (voice: English version)
Robert De Niro - King
(voice: English version)
Lee de Jong - Hardware girl
Harvey Keitel - Miro (voice: English version)
Chazz Palminteri
- The Travel Agent (voice: English version)
Rhoff - Max (voice: French version)
Emilio Estevez - Ferryman (voice: English version)
On February 1, 2007, the film received the Imagina Award in the category Prix du Long-Métrage.
On October 1,2007 Mylène Farmer was rewarded
with a NRJ Ciné Award (category of best doubling) for the voice for Sélénia
in “Arthur and the Minimoys.
Plot
10-year-old Arthur is living with his grandmother in a quiet country house.His grandfather has recently gone missing and he sees little of his parents. His grandmother entertains him by reading stories to him. One of these stories is about the friendship of the tall, Masai-like tribals Bogomatassalai and the Minimoys — tooth-sized, elfin beings living underground in the garden of his grandparents' house. According to these stories, the Minimoys hold a wondrous and expensive treasure of rubies given by the African tribe called the Bogomatassalai to Arthur's grandfather in gratitude for his help. Arthur has become enamoured with a picture of Selenia, princess of the Minimoys.
Arthur's grandmother has been given a two-day deadline to pay a large sum of money to a building developer named Davido, who has bought up her mortgage from the bank and plans to evict the two. Arthur takes it upon himself to find the rubies in order to pay off the debt. After stumbling across various clues written a few years previously by his grandfather, Arthur manages to find the key to the Minimoys' world. He is met in the garden by the "Bogomatassalai", who show Arthur how to get into the Minimoys' world by way of shrinking down to their size. This is done by means of a telescope and the power of a shining full moon. When Arthur is underground with the Minimoys, he learns of a danger to the little people's future, posed by the plans of Malthazar, the leader of an army of mosquito-riding rebels named Seides living in nearby "Necropolis", who plan to conquer the Minimoys by flooding their city. Malthazar was once a Minimoy himself; a war hero corrupted by a seductive weevil, by whom he has a son called Darkos. After his corruption, Malthazar became a warlord known as the "Evil M". Arthur's grandfather is his prisoner, and the rubies form his throne.
Arthur, in a moment reflecting his legendary British namesake, draws a sacred sword from its recess, which he then uses to protect his new friends from Malthazar's soldiers. The king gives permission for Arthur to travel to Necropolis, sending with him the princess Selenia as well as her younger brother. Armed with Arthur's new sword – the use of which they share – the trio embark. En route to Necropolis, they are numerous times put in danger by Malthazar's soldiers, who are making plans for the coming flood. During their travel Selenia reveals that at her age (which corresponds to Arthur's, though not counted on the same numerical system), she must find a husband within two days.
Eventually, the questors arrive in Necropolis, where the stubbornly independent Selenia takes the sword and kisses Arthur, which as the first kiss of a princess marks Arthur as the future king. Selenia then confronts Malthazar alone. Malthazar wishes the first kiss of the princess to restore his original beauty; after learning she has already kissed Arthur and she can no longer give him her powers, he decides to kill her. She is captured and incarcerated in a cell where she finds her companions, already captured. (The kiss scene was cut in the U.S. version, and the order of the scenes was changed.)
While in prison, they find Arthur's grandfather Archibald, who like his grandson after him has become a Minimoy. This transformation has altered the proportions of his body, giving him a larger head, thinner limbs, long ears, and broad extremities. He has been teaching all his knowledge to Malthazar in exchange for food. Selenia feels defeated, but Arthur comforts her.
Malthazar allows them to escape 3 minutes ahead of the flood; but they outrun it, using as their vehicle a clockwork car that Arthur, in his human form, recently possessed, but the person who who was running the demolition to his grandparent's house kicked it down the drain.
During the adventure, Arthur's infatuation of Selenia has been supplemented by comradeship, as well as by her own affection for him. When Arthur learns of a Minimoy custom stating that newlyweds should not kiss for the second time until after ten moons, Selenia decides she does not wish to wait and gives Arthur a long, passionate kiss before he returns to his human form. He now has an hour wherein to save the Minimoys from the flood
With the help of a royal advisor's long-lost son, Miro, Arthur is able to prevent the flood from destroying the Minimoys, redirecting it to Necropolis instead. Malthazar abandons the plan, as well as his army and his son, and flees.
Arthur and Archebald pay Davido with one ruby; he tries to take all, but the Bogomatassalai capture him and give him to the authorities (scene cut in the us edition).
The story closes with their vows, spoken by Arthur in his human form to Selenia, who sits in a tree, to wait patiently until the time is right for them to be together.
The ending credits then proceed, alongside scenes of every significant character (as well as the director, Luc Besson) appearing in Minimoy form to take a bow.
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