“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a 2009 animated stop-motion film directed by Wes Anderson. The movie is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl.
The movie has a plethora of famous actors and actresses that bring the characters to life, including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. The recognizable cast, unlike some other animated or stop motion pictures, does not remove you from the work. The voices fit the characters, and you are able to connect with the film in a deeper way.
When you watch the film you get invested in the story and you care about the characters despite how silly they sometimes may seem.
It simply never grows old. The style is one that can only be described as whimsical, weird and fun. However, it is so packed with details and hidden easter eggs that with each watch you notice more details than before and it makes the movie even more lovable with each watch.
The plot follows a fox growing tired of his calm life and wishing for some adventure. In an effort to achieve a life of thrill much like that of his younger years, he decides to break the promise with his wife that he’d settle down and return to his animal instincts. He then plans a series of heists from the neighboring factories run by the humans Boggis, Bunce and Bean.
The top motion animation feels realistic in an odd way. Although they used puppets to create the film, it feels like you are really watching the characters come to life.
Wes Anderson brings his own charm to the original work by emphasizing the sometimes wacky dialogues with scenes that are equally as quirky. Anderson uses color in a very unique way, with the autumnal palette making it the perfect film to watch under a nice cozy blanket as fall kicks off. His unique direction seems to fit the film so perfectly that you would have thought the movie came before the book.
The themes of the film are deeper then what one would normally think for an animated film about a fox stealing food. Family, pride and working together are some of the themes in the film and although they might be cliche, they are delivered in a way that does not seem forced and instead seems fresh.
Overall, the film is a fall classic that brings back happy times both from memories of reading the story and watching the movie with loved ones. To give it a numerical rating is a hard thing to do since it is more than just another movie to me, so instead I implore you to go and watch it and review it for yourself, either alone or with a group of friends.
