In the cinematic world, there are few things as disappointing as a good-hearted fantasy film that misses the mark. Such a shame: a lot of work went into Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Invisibles," a film of great imagination and style. But something was missing, something that prevented the story from transcending its overtly unrealistic elements. It seemed that the emphasis on creating the right world for these characters was too strong; not enough emphasis was placed on developing the characters themselves, nor was there enough on immersing the audience within this world. This film felt only half complete, as if Besson was in a hurry to get his project finished and released.

The world that I'm referring to is that of the Minimoys, miniscule, elfin-like creatures that live underground. The parts of the film featuring these characters are completely computer generated, meaning that the filmmakers had to pay close attention to detail. Sure enough, details are abundant; we see immense dirt caves and elaborate contraptions of Minimoy design, such as weaponry, tools, aqueduct systems and grandiose throne rooms. But somehow, it wasn't enough. For one thing, what we were shown went by far too quickly; I never had the chance to fully absorb everything I was watching, which made it a lot harder to feel connected to the story.

The Minimoys' underground kingdom is located in a Connecticut garden, one that's on the property of Arthur (Freddie Highmore) and his grandmother (Mia Farrow). These characters are introduced in the live action portion of the film, which I could tell was purposely created to establish plot. In that regard, the story succeeds; everything we need to know is outlined during these scenes, such as the fact that Arthur's parents (Doug Rand and Penny Balfour) are well intentioned but incredibly neglectful. They live in the city, hoping that getting better jobs will help them through hard times. What they don't realize is that they're missing significant portions of their son's life, such as his tenth birthday.

We also learn that Arthur's grandfather, Archibald (Ron Crawford), has been missing for quite some time. He was a cultured, adventurous man who had once gone on an African expedition and returned with a small fortune in rubies, supposedly now buried somewhere on the property. While on this trip, he had become friendly with members of an African tribe, who have a harmonious existence with the Minimoys (apparently because of a universal balance; they're a tiny race of people while the Africans are incredibly tall).

Because Archibald is missing, a greedy land developer known only as Davido (Adam LeFevre) is ready to pounce on his property, currently occupied by his wife and grandson. Unfortunately, everything was done legally; the right people were present to sign all the right papers. If Arthur and his grandmother intend to stay in their home, Archibald must return with the right sum of money. Of course, Davido is almost certain that he will never come back, which allows for a display of arrogance commonly seen amongst fantasy film villains.

For the sake of the story, Arthur was crafted to be of the brave, ambitious type, one who feels that everything will turn out right if he holds out enough hope and shows enough courage. For years he had been told about the Minimoys, gathering most of his information from a collection of illustrations and notes his grandfather left behind. From these sources he learns that the treasure is within their world; if he can somehow speak with the Minimoys then maybe he can convince them to give him the treasure. That way, Davido can be paid off and Arthur's home will be spared (as well the home of the Minimoys).

Apparently, Archibald always intended for his grandson to complete a mission, and he tells him so through a series of cleverly hidden written messages. And according to these messages, Arthur is to enter the world of the Minimoys and find this missing treasure. With the help of a special telescope, the moon, and a group of African warrior types (how they conveniently showed up in Connecticut is anyone's guess), Arthur is shrunk down, pushed into the telescope, and transformed into a computer-generated, elfin-looking character.

Thus begins his adventure in the Minimoy kingdom. He meets a number of colorful characters, including: The King (Robert De Niro), who, for whatever reason, alters his appearance by sitting atop a furry monster; his daughter, Princess Selenia (Madonna), who feels she has something to prove; and her younger brother, Betameche (Jimmy Fallon). I would have believed these characters were it not for the humorous dialogue, none of which seemed appropriate for this kind of film. Especially prominent was a scene featuring the voice talents of Snoop Dogg and Anthony Anderson; it was obvious these characters were included merely as a way to add comedy relief to the story. All the Minimoy characters were funny at some point; even the headstrong Selenia will occasionally make some wisecrack about her brother. The entire Minimoy civilization served as comedy relief, which I found bothersome considering they're supposed to be integral to the plot.

Arthur and the royal siblings make a perilous journey across the lawn to a necropolis city, which contains both the treasure and the evil Malthazar (David Bowie), leader of a warrior race who have long been at odds with the Minimoys. His scheme is to unleash a flood upon the opposing clan. Exciting idea? Yes. But it wasn't handled properly in the final film; Malthazar's character was painfully underdeveloped. He's only seen during the last half hour of the movie, meaning his scheme practically comes out of nowhere. It doesn't help that he seems to be the only level headed one of the entire clan; all of his troops--even his own son, Darkos (Jason Bateman)--are nothing more than bumbling fools. I admit that some of the jokes in this movie were funny. Still, is there no sense of seriousness to this story?

Maybe I'm being overly critical. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel that "Arthur and the Invisibles" had the potential to be so much more than it was. There are a number of problems I could list: far too much about the Minimoys was left unexplained, leaving what little there was seem completely out of place; some of the fairy tale elements are unoriginal, the most notable example being Arthur's ability to pull a sword free from a stone; Freddie Highmore retains his British accent for his character, which doesn't make sense in a film taking place in the United States. But my biggest problem was being forcibly detached from the imaginative settings; the world of the Minimoys is rich and vibrant, and I wanted to experience it fully. When an idea so stunning is willfully pushed aside for the sake of pacing, you can't help but feel greatly disappointed.

- Chris Pandolfi