Several break up into bits after they’re lured-at top speed-into a crevice too small for their bodies.
After an airborne fight that brings to mind Star Wars‘ pod-racing, Arthur slams into a wall and crashes to the ground. Armed with a menacing mace, Maltazard’s son goes after Selenia, her brother and Arthur, smashing up the room they’re in. Others are knocked off the mosquitoes they ride with catapulted cherries. During a fight with Maltazard’s men, Selenia kicks one in the crotch. Most of this simply involves parrying and pushing and shoving, but Arthur does bring a couple of henchmen to their knees with a swing of the sword across their legs. In the animated underworld we see plenty of clashes between the Minimoys Arthur befriends and a legion of evil mutants, led by the ruthless Maltazard.
(They refer to him only as “the evil M.”) Several characters believe that merely mentioning the name of Maltazard brings bad luck. In the world above, a couple of characters-including the unloving developer-mention going to church and call Sunday “the day of our Lord.” When faced with what seems to be sure death, Grandpa tells a group, “the only solution is to pray for a miracle.” A Minimoy who operates the machine that transports Arthur from the human world to the underworld takes various actions to assure that Arthur’s spirit and soul are sent along with his body. Later, he echoes a friend’s sentiment to have faith by saying, “May the gods hear you.” That associate then celebrates the return of a family member with, “The gods have sent you.” Maltazard, an evil ruler at war with Selenia’s people, speaks of a spell that has disfigured him, and he recognizes Selenia as being the only one who can reverse the curse and save his life. The Minimoy king sends off his daughter, Princess Selenia, by asking the “spirits of the ancients” to guide her. In the same fantasy vein, Arthur is the only one who can extract a “magic sword of power” from the rock in which it is embedded.īut the spiritual aspect of this colorful realm gets taken further with several comments about gods and spirits. Viewers are warned, in a way, to be careful about who they pick for their friends, and what they decide to do when they have to choose between good and evil-or even between discretion and carelessness.Īrthur transforms into a Minimoy, and, obviously, there’s a magical element involved with that. Some of the bad things that happen to people in the story are linked to bad choices they made. Similarly, a Minimoy king reunited with his children calls them his “most prized possessions.” When he suggests that a group of physically intimidating African warriors take his place in fighting off a looming evil, their leader tells him, “Your heart is the strongest of weapons.” Arthur also makes a promise to find an old man’s captured son, and he does all he can to see that promise through.Įxplaining why Arthur’s parents have left him with his grandma, the narrator tells us, “Times were tough, and his mother and father were doing the best they could to take care of him.” Later, however, they vow to never let money problems keep their family apart again. Taking nothing more than his desire and pure heart, Arthur sets out to save both the house and-as we soon find out-these tiny creatures, too.Īrthur never gives up hope that things will turn out for the best, and he advises others along the way to adopt the same attitude. His grandfather told stories of a kingdom of Minimoys who stand only about as tall as a tooth, and who hold his stash of rubies somewhere in their underground world.
But to track it down, he has to have faith in what seems ridiculous to everyone else. Grandpa buried a treasure somewhere on the grounds, and the youngster is determined to find it and save the day. The ever-clever, always-optimistic Arthur has a plan, though. He’s already got all the paperwork done, and unless Grandpa can suddenly reappear, sign the papers and come up with payment within 48 hours, it seems a sure bet she and Arthur will be evicted. Then a heartless real estate developer swoops in and informs Granny that he plans to demolish her house and turn it into an apartment complex. (The story’s set in what looks to be the early 1960s.) But ever since the legendary old man disappeared while on one of his journeys, the boy and his grandma can only reminisce about him at their Connecticut house in the country-while Arthur’s parents search for jobs in the city. Ten-year-old Arthur would love to follow in the footsteps of his treasure-hunting, Africa-exploring grandpa.
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