Plot: After giving up his life as a bird thief, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) has settled into his new life as a newspaper columnist with wife Felicia (Meryl Streep) and son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). However, when Mr. Fox moves his family into a tree near the human food facilities of Walter Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Nathan Bunce (Hugo Guinness), and Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon) he decides to go on one final big heist. However, the results may be more dire than his family, and the rest of the animal community bargained for.
Review: After The Darjeeling Limited failed to live up to critical and commerical success, director Wes Anderson needed a comeback in a big way. That comeback is realized in Fantastic Mr. Fox, a captivating, witty, and charming stop-motion animated film.
Based on the book by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox features animals that display not only human characteristics, but also surprisingly human emotions and circumstances that are relateable for children and adults. Clooney's character in particular is in a situation that many middle-aged men find themselves in; stuck in a dead-end job wishing he could provide more for his family and relive his glory days. Meanwhile, Fox's son Ash, largely ignored by his father and desperately seeking his approval, is trying to to live up to an impossible reputation. At the same time Ash is competing with his cousin Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson) who possesses all the talent and charm Ash does not.
Aside from the relateability of the film, Fantastic Mr. Fox is just plain funny. Whether it is substituting the word "cuss" for a swear word ("What a clustercuss!" Fox says at one point) or the 1000 yard stare of Kylie Sven Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky) the building superintendent and Fox's co-conspirator, or Clive Badger's (Bill Murray) constant pompousness, Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach's script is filled with laughs. At once witty and poignant, the dialogue though unorthodox nonetheless comes across as quite natural. Tristan Oliver's brilliant cinematography complements the fine screenplay, depicting the animals in bright vivid colors while humans Boggis, Bunce, and Bean come across as gray and sinister.
I will admit that sometimes the message of the film (following your passion, the importance of family, and forgiveness are all themes) sometimes gets a little heavy-handed and Alexandre Desplat's music seems adolescent at times. Even the theft of Mr. Fox's tail and subsequent quest by Ash to retrieve the tail possesses about as much subtle symbolism as a punch to the face. However, these are minor criticisms and besides it is a children's film. In any event, Fantastic Mr. Fox is sure to be a movie that will please both parents and children alike.
My rating: 8/10
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