It is a brilliant movie....

AHA - have read numerous film/dvd descriptions out to MIL and she has decided it was Arthur and the Invisibles. Marvellous!! Thanks for all your help.

true....but running out of options....still think it is Arthur and the invisables....because he did drop into animated land and had advurters

The Golden Compass isn't animated though so it can't be that surely?

oh yes golden compass...that is out....and it is a very good movie!

"In a parallel world ruled by The Magisterium where people's souls have animal shapes, the orphan Lyra Belaqua is educated in the Jordan College, and her uncle and Professor Lord Asriel is her tutor. Lyra accidentally overhears a conversation about a research of Lord Asriel in the North Artic and the existence of a powerful Dust that unites different worlds. When her best friend Roger is kidnapped by the evil Gobblers, Lyra promises to rescue him. She is invited to go to the North with the influent Mrs. Coulter and the Jordan's Vice-Chancellor secretly gives her a magic golden compass capable of revealing the truth. When Lyra finds that Mrs. Coulter is the leader of the Gobblers, she escapes from her house and the runaway girl begins an amazing adventure in a war to save her friend and other missing children with her allied Gyptians, Witches and the strong Armored Bear Iorek Byrnison."

If it is older...could it be The Pagemaster
link to clip

I mean 'the golden compass' came out in 2007 so DVD release could be now?

Is it the 'his dark materials' thing? By philip pullman?

That does sound like Arthur and the Invisibles to me....but you say it isn't!

Is it a newly released movie or maybe older...
Arthur came out on DVD last year...btw..