Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds
Mixed reviews, French box-office success, international losses.
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (original French title: Arthur 3: La Guerre des deux mondes) is a 2010 fantasy film that blends live-action and computer animation. It was directed and co-written by Luc Besson, adapting the fourth and final book from his own children's series, titled *Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds*. As the sequel to 2009's *Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard*, it is the third and final main installment of the film series, having been filmed at the same time as its predecessor. The movie premiered in French theaters on 13 October 2010, distributed by EuropaCorp. While critical reception was mixed, it performed well at the French box office. However, despite the international commercial successes of the first two films, especially the first, this installment caused substantial financial losses for EuropaCorp. In the United States, it went straight to video via 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it was combined with the second film into a single feature titled *Arthur and the Great Adventure*. A spin-off, *Arthur, malédiction*, was released in France in 2022.
**Plot** The story continues directly from the second film. Maltazard has grown to human size, leaving Arthur tiny. With Princess Selenia and her brother Prince Betameche, Arthur tries to retrieve an enlarging potion from his house, but Maltazard steals it to enlarge his own followers. Arthur returns to normal size using an Elixir of Life given by the Queen of the Bogo-Matassalai. Archibald convinces Darkos, Maltazard’s son, to switch sides and enlarges him with a second potion. Arthur and Darkos confront Maltazard until Selenia and Betameche shrink him back to Minimoy size; Arthur captures him as the U.S. Army defeats Maltazard’s forces. Maltazard remains a prisoner of Arthur’s family.
- release_date
- 13 October 2010 (France)
- director
- Luc Besson
- country
- France
- language
- English
- budget
- 68.83 million euros
- box_office
- Box-office success in France; huge losses for EuropaCorp internationally
- based_on
- Fourth and final book of the Arthur children's books series by Luc Besson, titled *Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds*
Lore & Background
The film picks up after the second film, with Maltazard having assumed human size and left Arthur in miniature. Accompanied by Princess Selenia and her brother Prince Betameche, Arthur attempts to retrieve an enlarging potion from his house, which Maltazard seizes to enlarge his followers. Arthur returns to human form using an Elixir of Life given by the Queen of the Bogo-Matassalai. Archibald convinces Darkos, Maltazard's son, to change sides, and enlarges him with a second potion. Arthur and Darkos then confront Maltazard, until Selenia and Betameche shrink Maltazard back to his Minimoy size and Arthur captures him, while the U.S. Army overcomes Maltazard's forces. Maltazard thereafter remains a prisoner of Arthur's family.
Reader's Guide
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds is significant as the final installment in the main Arthur film series, concluding the story arc begun in the earlier films. Despite being a box-office success in France, the film generated huge losses for EuropaCorp following the international box-office bombs of its two predecessors. It was released as a direct-to-video in the United States by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland it was edited as one film with the second film under the title Arthur and the Great Adventure. The film marked Lou Reed's last acting role before his death in 2013. A spin-off, Arthur, malédiction, was released in France in 2022. The film's budget of 68.83 million euros made it at that time the 3rd most expensive French film in history. Critical reception was mixed; on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 20% approval rating based on 5 critics, and David Nusiar of Reelfilm.com called it 'a mild improvement over its two predecessors.'
Did You Know?
- The film was shot back-to-back with the previous installment, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard.
- Lou Reed voiced Maltazard in the film, but it was not his final acting role; he continued voice work after 2010 until his death in 2013.
- In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film was edited together with the second film under the title Arthur and the Great Adventure.
- The budget of 68.83 million euros did not make it the 3rd most expensive French film at the time; other French productions like 'Asterix at the Olympic Games' and 'The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec' had hig
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