Arthur (Besson book series)

Lore & Background

The Arthur series consists of four novels originally published in France by Intervista: Arthur et les Minimoys (2002), Arthur et la cité interdite (2003), Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard (2004), and Arthur et la guerre des deux mondes (2005). Only the first two books were published in English, translated by Ellen Sowchek, by HarperCollins in the United States and Faber and Faber in the United Kingdom; these two were reissued in one volume in 2007 as Arthur and the Invisibles. Later reissues by Le Livre de Poche dropped the 'Arthur et' part of the titles.

Three feature films were released: Arthur and the Minimoys (2006), based on the first two books; Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009), based on the third book; and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010), based on the fourth book. The second and third films were made back-to-back and have a directly continuous storyline, though the English version differs somewhat in the casting of voice-only roles. A standalone spin-off psychological horror film, Arthur, malédiction, was released in 2022.

Reader's Guide

The Arthur series is significant as a multimedia franchise created by Luc Besson, a prominent film director and producer, spanning novels, feature films, video games, and a television series. The novels introduced a fantasy world of tiny beings called Minimoys, and the films brought that world to a wider audience, with the first film altered as Arthur and the Invisibles for the US release by The Weinstein Company. The series also generated video games for popular consoles alongside the first two films, and an animated TV series debuted in 2018. A 4-D film attraction at Futuroscope and a dark ride at Europa-Park in Germany further extended the franchise's reach. The series' legacy lies in its cross-media expansion, though only the first two novels were published in English, limiting its literary impact in Anglophone markets. The closure of The Weinstein Company affected the US release of the first film, which is now only available on US and UK DVDs.

Did You Know?

• A 4-D film, Arthur: L'Aventure 4D, has been an attraction at Futuroscope.
• The Arthur – The Ride at Europa-Park in Germany cost approximately €20 million.

The Novels: A Filmmaker's Literary Debut

Luc Besson, best known as a film director and producer, surprised the literary world by penning a four-book fantasy series for children between 2002 and 2005. The novels were first released in France by Intervista, with later reissues from Le Livre de Poche notably stripping the "Arthur et" prefix from their titles. The sequence follows a young protagonist through escalating adventures: Arthur et les Minimoys (2002), Arthur et la cité interdite (2003), Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard (2004), and Arthur et la guerre des deux mondes (2005). The series reached readers in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, though English-language publication was limited. Translator Ellen Sowchek rendered only the first two volumes, which HarperCollins issued in the US and Faber and Faber in the UK. In 2007, Faber and Faber combined those two books into a single volume retitled Arthur and the Invisibles. The remaining two novels never received English editions, leaving a portion of Besson's original narrative accessible only to French-speaking audiences.

The Films: From Page to Screen

Besson took full creative control of the screen adaptations, writing, producing, and directing all three feature films released between 2006 and 2010 across France, the UK, and the US. The 2006 debut, Arthur and the Minimoys, merged the first two novels into one story, following ten-year-old Arthur Montgomery as he enters the magical Land of the Minimoys to visit his grandfather Archibald Suchot and confront the villain Maltazard, known as the Evil M. For its American release, The Weinstein Company rebranded it as Arthur and the Invisibles, a title that remains available only on US and UK DVDs following the distributor's closure. The 2009 sequel, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard, picks up two years later with twelve-year-old Arthur answering a distress call, only to face Maltazard freed from a telescope and grown to human size. The 2010 finale, Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds, tasks Arthur with shrinking back to human scale to defeat Maltazard's forces. The second and third films were shot back-to-back with a continuous storyline, though their English-language versions differ in voice casting. In 2022, a standalone psychological horror spin-off titled Arthur, malédiction extended the franchise in an unexpected direction.

Interactive and Immersive Extensions

The Arthur franchise extended well beyond the page and the cinema screen, embracing interactive and experiential media. Video games were released alongside the first two films, targeting the popular consoles of the era. The first game, Arthur and the Invisibles, appeared on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance. Its sequel, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard, launched for Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS. Notably, the UK market received the second game under the Maltazard title even though the film itself was not distributed under that name in the country. The franchise also found a home in theme-park entertainment. A 4-D film attraction called Arthur: L'Aventure 4D became a fixture at the Futuroscope park. More ambitiously, Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, opened Arthur – The Ride in June 2014. This inverted-spinning dark ride, which cost 25 million euros to build, featured audio-animatronics and projected footage drawn from the films, immersing visitors in the world of the Minimoys in a way no other medium could replicate.

Television and the Franchise's Global Footprint

The Arthur universe continued to expand into television and ancillary media, cementing its status as a multi-platform franchise. An animated series titled Arthur and the Minimoys, produced by Studio 100, debuted on 17 July 2018, bringing the characters to a new generation of young viewers. Plans for a 20-episode web series were also in the works, signaling further digital expansion. The franchise's soundtrack, Arthur and the Invisibles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, offered fans an audio companion to the films. Across its various formats, the series maintained a distinctly international presence, with publications and releases spanning France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The novels were published by different houses in each territory, the films were distributed by regional partners, and the video games appeared under slightly different titles depending on the market. This multi-country, multi-format strategy ensured that Arthur remained a recognizable cultural touchstone across Europe and North America, even as individual elements—like the Weinstein Company's US release or the English-language voice casting—varied from one region to the next.