Arthur and the Minimoys (film)
Arthur and the Minimoys | |
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French | Arthur et les Minimoys |
Directed by | Luc Besson |
Written by |
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Story by | Luc Besson |
Based on | Arthur and the Minimoys and Arthur and the Forbidden City by Luc Besson |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
Edited by |
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Music by | Éric Serra |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | EuropaCorp |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes[1] |
Country | France |
Language | English |
Budget | €60 million |
Box office | $107.9 million[2] |
Arthur and the Minimoys (French: Arthur et les Minimoys) is a 2006 English-language French
Arthur and the Minimoys was released theatrically in France on 29 November 2006 by
The film received its release in the
The film's success in France spawned a media franchise with two sequels, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009) and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010), and a spin-off, Arthur, malédiction (2022), as well as multiple video games, an animated television series and theme park attractions at Futuroscope and Europa-Park.
Plot
In 1960, 10-year-old Arthur Montgomery lives with his grandmother Daisy in a quiet farm house on a dirt road, in a small rural community in
Arthur, reflecting his legendary British namesake, draws a sacred sword from its recess and uses it to protect the Minimoys from Maltazard's soldiers; whereupon Sifrat, the ruler of the Minimoys, sends Arthur to Necropolis, with the princess Selenia and her brother Betameche. En route, they are attacked on two occasions by Maltazard's soldiers. In Necropolis, Selenia kisses Arthur, marking him as her husband and potential successor, and confronts Maltazard alone. When Maltazard learns that she has already kissed Arthur and thus can no longer give him her powers and cure his corruption, he imprisons all three, who discover a Minimoy form of Archibald. Thereafter Arthur and his grandfather escape and return to human form, with little time to spare before Maltazard's flood reaches the Minimoys. With the help of Mino, a royal advisor's long-lost son, Arthur redirects the flood to Necropolis, whereupon Maltazard abandons Necropolis and his son, and the water ejects the rubies above ground. Archibald pays Davido with one ruby; and when he tries to take them all, the Bogo Matassalai capture him and give him to the authorities. Arthur asks Selenia to wait for his return, and her agreement to do so while the film ends.
Cast
Live-action cast
- motion-capture performancefor the character.
- Mia Farrow as Daisy Suchot, Arthur's grandmother and Archibald's wife.
- Ron Crawford as Archibald Suchot, Arthur's grandfather and Daisy's husband. Crawford also voices Archibald in animation. The character is voiced by actor Michel Duchaussoy in the French version.
- Adam LeFevre as Ernest Davido, the Real Estate Agent. The character is voiced by actor José Garcia in the French version.
- Penny Balfour as Rose Montgomery, Arthur's mother and Daisy and Archibald's daughter. The character is voiced by actress Valérie Lemercier in the French version.
- Douglas Rand as Armand Montgomery, Arthur's Dad. The character is voiced by actor Jean-Paul Rouve in the French version.
- Jean Betote Njamba as the chief of the Matassalai. The character is voiced by rapper Doudou Masta in the French version.
- An uncredited German Shepard as Alfred, Arthur's pet dog.
Voice cast
- Madonna as Princess Selenia, the daughter of Emperor Sifrat. The character is voiced by singer Mylène Farmer in the French version.
- Douglas Rand as Prince Simono Matradoy de Betameche, or simply Betameche "Beta", Selenia's younger brother. The character is voiced by radio host Cartman in the French version.
- Robert De Niro as Emperor Sifrat XVI, Betameche and Selenia's father.
- Snoop Dogg as Max, the leader of the Koolamassai, a race of beings similar to the Minimoys. The character is voiced by rapper Rohff in the French version.
- Allen Hoist as DJ Easy Low, a Koolamassai. The character is voiced by DJ Cut Killer in the French version. Hoist also voices another Koolamassai.
- Christian Erickson as Prince Darkos, Maltazard's vicious but dim-witted son. The character is voiced by actor Marc Lavoine in the French version.
- David Bowie as Emperor Maltazard (also known as the Evil M, Maltazard the Evil, or Malthazar the Cursed). The character is voiced by singer Alain Bashung in the French version.
- Douglas Rand as Miro, the royal advisor.
- Barbara Weber Scaff as Mino, Miro's long lost son.
- Tonio Descanvelle as the Ferryman. The character is voiced by singer Dick Rivers in the French version.
- Chazz Palminteri as the Travel Agent
- Ron Crawford as the narrator
Production
The animation was produced by the French company
The Weinstein Company version
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
After a screening test in the United States, The Weinstein Company re-edited the film under the title Arthur and the Invisibles.[7] Approximately nine minutes were cut. Most of the edits pertained to the love story between Arthur and Selenia due to age differences. In addition to these deleted scenes, The Weinstein Company's version also adds in new narration by David Suchet replacing Ron Crawford's narration as Archibald, along with actors Jimmy Fallon (Prince Simono Matradoy), Emilio Estevez (Ferryman), Harvey Keitel (Miro), Rob Corddry and Nate Corddry (both voiced Seldes), Erik Per Sullivan (Mino and the baby bug), Anthony Anderson (one of the Koolamassai), and Jason Bateman (Prince Darkos) replacing various actors from the original version. The entire storyline involving the parents and their greed for money was also deleted, reduced to a short scene and the narrator explaining that worrying over their son was all they needed to reform completely.
The American version of the film was theatrically released on January 12, 2007, by
Technology
The Minimoys featured in the first
Soundtrack
There was
Availability
In 2023,
Prior to date, the original version was upload on YouTube in 2021, but was taken down due to legal issues as only the Weinstein cut is virtually sharable since it was never distributed or renewed after the closure of The Weinstein Company following the arrest of Harvey Weinstein in 2018,[11] meaning the Weinstein cut is in public domain.
Reception
Box office
The film was budgeted at $86 million.[2] In its first two weeks in cinemas in France Arthur earned over US$20 million.[2]
Critical response
The film gained positive attention in France and became a box-office success.[4]
Awards
In 2007, the film received two awards: on 1 February for Imagina Award in the category Prix du Long-Métrage[12] and on 1 October, Mylène Farmer was awarded the NRJ Ciné Award for her dubbing of Sélénia's voice in Arthur and the Minimoys.[13]
Reactions to the Weinstein cut
The Weinstein cut received largely negative reviews upon its release in early 2007. It has an approval rating of 22% via
Many found it derivative of sources ranging from
Franchise
Sequels
Arthur and the Minimoys was followed by a 2009 sequel,
Video game
A video game based on Arthur and the Minimoys was marketed for PlayStation 2, PC, and Nintendo DS during the film's release in Europe in 2006. It was marketed in the US under the film’s now-former Invisibles title.[24]
Television series
An animated TV series of the same name was produced by Studio 100 and EuropaCorp Animation, and debuted on 17 July 2018. A 20-episode web series was also being planned.[25]
Spin-off
A psychological horror-themed spin-off, titled Arthur, malédiction, was produced. Written by Besson and directed by Barthélemy Grossmann, the film is not set in the same universe and follows a group of teenagers who are looking for the house where the original trilogy was filmed only to find that it is in reality haunted. It was released theatrically in France on 29 June 2022. The film was poorly received by critics and fans of the franchise and is considered to be one of the worst films ever made.[26]
References
- ^ "ARTHUR AND THE MINIMOYS (2006)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Arthur and the Minimoys". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "French Director Visits China for Film Release". People's Daily. 12 January 2007.
- ^ a b Luc Besson et ses Minimoys plombent EuropaCorp, Libération, 30 juin 2011
- ^ a b "Arthur and the Minimoys | Disney+". www.disneyplus.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ Alain Bielik (12 January 2007). "Arthur and the Minimoys: Luc Besson's Animated World". Animation World Magazine.
- ^ "Off to the Garden To Save Grandma's House".
- ^ "3DS Minimoys". Archived from the original on 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ^ "Arthur and the Invisibles Soundtrack (2006)". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved March 15, 2004.
- ^ "Arthur and the Minimoys on Apple TV". Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Twohey, Megan (October 8, 2017). "Harvey Weinstein Is Fired After Sexual Harassment Reports". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ DeMott, Rick (7 February 2007). "Gorillaz, X-Men, Over the Hedge, Arthur Take Imagina Awards". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- ^ "NRJ Ciné Awards 2007".
- ^ "Arthur and the Invisibles". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Arthur and the Minimoys". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-07-20.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Home". Cinemascore. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ^ "Arthur and the Minimoys: A film with no shortage of well-known talent makes an awkward transition from live action to animation". Los Angeles Times. 29 December 2006. [dead link]
- ^ Robert Koehler (21 December 2006). "Arthur and the Minimoys review". Variety.
- ^ Frank Lovece (29 December 2006). "Arthur and the Minimoys review". Film Journal International.
- ^ "Arthur and the Minimoys". Common Sense Media.
- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW: Arthur and the Minimoys". Cinema Blend.
- ^ Daniel Robert Epstein (18 May 2007). "Luc Besson and Rie Rasmussen". SuicideGirls. Archived from the original on 21 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ Luc Besson et ses Minimoys plombent EuropaCorp, Libération, 30 juin 2011
- ^ "Arthur and the Invisibles :: DS Game Review". KidzWorld. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Foster, Elizabeth (2016-11-25). "Studio 100 bets big on Arthur and the Minimoys". Kidscreen. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ^ Henni, Jamal (April 24, 2022). "Luc Besson revient avec un film à petit budget, "Arthur malédiction"". Capital. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
External links
- Arthur et les Minimoys at IMDb
- Arthur and the Minimoys at AllMovie
- Arthur and the Minimoys at Box Office Mojo
- Arthur and the Minimoys at Keyframe
- Arthur and the Minimoys Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine at CanMag
- Arthur and the Invisibles (TWC version) on YouTube