Weinsteins Nab Minimoys

Friday, March 03, 2006
By: Ryan Ball

Having hit with Hoodwinked and missed with Doogal, The Weinstein Co. is taking yet another shot at indie animation with action auteur Luc Besson’s toon debut, Arthur and the Minimoys. The company acquired English-speaking territory distribution rights to the CG/live-action French film based on Besson’s best-selling children’s book of the same name.

Arthur and the Minimoys tells the story of a 10-year-old boy who hopes to save his grandmother's home from being demolished by seeking his grandfather’s treasure, which is hidden in the land of the Minimoys, a race of tiny, magical creatures who live in harmony with their environment. With the help of Princess Selenia and her brother, Betameche, Arthur encountes a string of adventures on his way to the forbidden city ruled by the evil M the Malicious. The voice cast features Madonna, Snoop Dogg, Mia Farrow, Freddie Highmore and David Bowie.

Besson, who directed such cult action hits as La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element, wrote the screen adaptation of his 2003 book, one in a series of four tales involving his Arthur character. The French filmmaker also directing the pic, which is currently in production at EuropaCorp. Weinstein Co. co-president of production Michael Cole and director of production and development Michael Schaefer are overseeing for the distributor. For more information, visit www.arthur-lelivre.com.

Reader Comments

• Anonymous :

  Friday, March 03, 2006

  I only have to words to say to them after seeing doogal....GOOD LUCK!!! they're gonna need it.=/

• Anonymous :

  Tuesday, March 07, 2006

  I don't know what Weinstein Co. is thinking. Just because Hoodwinked faired well, even though it was a horrible movie, they are jumping at every new indi CG movie. It's rediculous. These are the guys who are ruining the animation industry thinking that just because a movie is CG it will do well. Weinstein Co. shouldn't be around much longer