Arthur returns to the land of the Minimoys, only to discover that the evil Maltazard has made a vicious trap for him. This is good entertainment, but the story is too thin.

Plot
12-year-old Arthur is full of anticipation. The portal leading to the land of the Minimoys opens only every tenth full moon, and his beloved Selenia and all the Minimoys have prepared a great feast and are waiting anxiously for his return. The amazing and microscopic world they live in is situated in the back yard of Arthur’s grandfather and grandmother’s house, and using a special instrument, Arthur is able to shrink and enter the Minimoys’ world.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. Suddenly, Arthur’s stressed out father decides that the family will leave the grandparents’ house and go home one day earlier, and so, Arthur realises that he has to wait even longer before he gets the chance to visit Selenia and the Minimoys.

As they are leaving, a spider crawls across the ceiling, and lowers itself right in front of Arthur. The spider drops a small grain of rice, on which a word is written with capital letters – “HELP”. Arthur is not in doubt that Selenia is in grave danger. He runs away from his parents, and, using a dangerous method, shrinks himself and returns to the land of the Minimoys.

Thus, a long journey begins, where Arthur once again meets Max, Betameche and all the familiar characters from the first film. On his way, he is chased by a number of warlike rats, hairy spiders and other creepy creatures. But what about Selenia? It turns out that it was neither she, nor any of the other Minimoys who sent the grain of rice. Yet Selenia isn’t anywhere to be found until the evil Maltazard shows up and unveils his evil plan...

Quality and Theme
”Arthur and the Great Adventure,” is the sequel to ”Arthur and the Invisibles,” from 2006, and the third film in the series is already in production.. You cannot help but be made aware that you’re watching a sequel. Without knowledge of the first film, several scenes will be completely incomprehensible (why on earth are there Africans in grandfather's garden?). However, this film mostly works as a set up for what will happen in the next episode. Considered as single entity, this film has an extremely thin plot, and, although there are a number of exciting scenes, one cannot help but wonder when the story is really going to start. You know you’re watching a poor film when you have to watch several minutes of dialogue towards the end where the characters explain what has actually been going on.

On the other hand, the animation is brilliant, and the story conveys a good message about the value of taking care of nature and all life that lives in it, including insects and what may seem like disgusting creatures.
 
Suitability
The film has PG rating, and due to a series of creepy scenes and scary creatures we do not recommend the film for children younger than six years of age.

Conclusion
Children who liked the first film, or, who have read the books the films are based on, will probably enjoy the film. For others, we recommend watching something else.

Facts

Director: Luc Besson Genre: Animation/Adventure Voices: Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Ron Crawford, Penny Balfour and more Nationality: France Production Company: Europa Corp. , Avalanche Productions, Apipoulai Length: 1t 33min Production Year: 2009 Age Limit: PG Suitability: Family BBFC’s Consumer Advice: Contains mild violence and scary scenes.

Our Assessment: Not recommended

Other reviews:

Guardian

Telegraph