FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson
November 13, 2009

    After 12 years of bucolic bliss, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) breaks a promise to his wife (Meryl Streep) and raids the farms of their human neighbors, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Giving in to his animal instincts endangers not only his marriage but also the lives of his family and their animal friends. When the farmers force Mr. Fox and company deep underground, he has to resort to his natural craftiness to rise above the opposition.

I adore Roald Dahl's novels, which have a special place in my childhood. I love his whimsical/absurd stories, and how expletives were sprinkled here and there. My love for Wes Anderson movies parallels my love for Roald Dahl novels, so this movie adaptation was a match made in heaven. The only person I would trust to bring to life a whimsy story is an equally whimsy filmmaker. As if that wasn't amazing enough, it's stop motion!

I think Anderson does a fantastic, seamless job introducing the characters and the story: I was not bored, it was exciting, and I was not confused. The only confusion I had was "fox time," and why the farmers have British accents, and the animals American... I enjoyed the overall story of animals who utilize their "wild natures" to band against humans. It's a fun and fast story; I whizzed past this movie because it's quick, which left me wanting more, despite the satisfying conclusion. The cinematography is guaranteed to be top notch. Beautiful, symmetrical, and Cheeto-orange scenes. I love the tiny details the stop-motion artists paid attention too, the wind rustling the fur, which is also prevalent in Isle of Dogs. Great character design! The designers breathed life to Dahl's descriptions. Although the movie is mostly based on the novel, the movie has Anderson's signature all over it.

I was not a fan of Mr. Fox right off the bat. He was sly and clever, which makes sense because he's a fox! As the movie progressed, I started to warm up to him. He's quick-thinking, and he makes a character change, selfish to selfless. I appreciate Mrs. Fox's voice of reason. She scolds her son, and she warns her husband. She seemed like a pushover at first, but as the story progressed and she developed, I saw her stand her ground, and I respect her. She's very vocal and a great communicator: love that. The only character that wasn't my favorite was the rat, sorry, Willem Dafoe. He added some suspense, but he's ultimately negligible. He fits more in West Side Story. When you hear the snaps, you'll understand.

Kristofferson was too perfect, erring obnoxious. Although I enjoyed him more, Ash is a more dynamic character, despite being insufferable for a large part of the film.  

This movie is adorable and hilarious; it is creeping up and, maybe, replacing my favorite Wes Anderson movie, Moonrise Kingdom. Very excited to watch his future stop-motion pictures, and I hope he wins an Oscar for Isle of Dogs, which was amazing!