Fantastic Mr. Fox

MOVIE #1,269 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 12.07.23 WES ANDERSON: DIRECTOR FOCUS After the last two movies I reviewed used popular music so sparsely, the opening “Heroes and Villains” needle drop is almost jarring, sort of feels like pandering. But I still can't deny that it's nice to hear a cool song in a movie even if that's the easiest trick a filmmaker can employ. Conversely it feels wrong to talk about tricks in what is a wonderful and clearly painstaking stop-motion delight. This seems to be the yin and yang of Anderson. However, the main question I have for this one is, who exactly is this movie for? The characters literally use the word “cuss” as a substitute for actual cuss words, a repetitive and frankly annoying trick that confused my daughter. It’s the kind of too-clever joke that wears thin fast and it’s deployed probaby forty times throughout these otherwise very economical 87 minutes.

The original text by Roald Dahl is very much a children's book, more so even than his better known and heavily adapted works like Willy Wonka and Matilda. I personally didn’t mind the Anderson flourishes and additions but it’s hard to argue that they don’t impede its success as a form of entertainment for kids. And it’s frankly hard to judge the adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox of all things as anything but.

The biggest flaw, however, is the casting of George Clooney as the titular voice. I’m an admitted Clooney H8er so perhaps take this with a grain of salt, but I would have rather heard any other A-lister (or Anderson acolyte, take your pick) in this role. All of the other casting is spot on (even Anderson’s own brother in the meaty part of Kristofferson, Mr. Fox’s nephew, is solid) and Clooney doesn’t necessarily ruin things. I actually really enjoyed this, having not seen it since it came out in theaters. It’s a joyous romp made with so much love that its charm far outweighs any and all of its flaws.

---

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ MOVIE #1,268 - (YOU ARE HERE) - MOVIE #1,270 ⫸

---

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a 2009 American stop-motion animated comedy film directed by Wes Anderson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach. The project is based on the 1970 children's novel by Roald Dahl. The cast includes George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson. The plot follows the titular character Mr. Fox, as his spree of thefts results in his family, and later his community, being hunted down by three farmers known as Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. It was released on October 14, 2009.