Fantastic Mr. Fox is Wes Anderson's first foray into animation.
This one was the choice of the younger GeekTeen, or as we like to call him, Roger Ebert Jr. As a film buff with an interest in contemporary directors, he wanted to compare it to the other Wes Anderson film he’s seen so far, The Darjeeling Limited. Of course, Fantastic Mr. Fox gets bonus points for being animated and for being based on a book by Roald Dahl, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame.
Will I like it?
Yes. It’s everything an adult wants in an animated film – interesting visuals, believable characters (even if they’re furry), and intelligent writing.
Will my kids like it? How PG is it?
If your kids are into wry, post-modernist humor (the kind that, you know, doesn’t really make the audience laugh), then they will enjoy Fantastic Mr. Fox. Although it’s not bloody, it does feature carnivores going about their business, as well as humans seeking to stop them. The delights of alcohol serve as a major plot point, and one character (a bad guy) smokes cigarettes throughout. Language-wise the only cuss word used is “cuss” – although it’s employed in ways that elicited some of the only audible chuckles of the evening from the adults.
How was the animation?
Really, really cool. The characters, their costumes and the sets are amazingly detailed, with a vaguely Victorian flair. But the characters, especially the foxes, are kind of weird standing on their hind paws, and their arms are all rubbery. There’s a gesture they make with their fingers, to indicate that they’re kind of confused, that looks especially strange when done with their rubbery foxy arms. But it just adds to the charm and the ambition of the animation, in my opinion. The human characters, especially the farmer played by Michael Gambon (Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies), were even better than the animals. Unlike (the real) Roger Ebert, I don’t think this one falls into the Uncanny Valley. I think the level of realism was just right.
How about the voice acting?
Superb. If you closed your eyes, you could very clearly see the actors doing the live-action version in your mind. Wes Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman were among the stars, along with George Clooney and Meryl Streep as the titular vulpine and his wife. As I said, there are practically no big laughs, but a constant stream of throwaway lines and observations that make the characters all-too-human.
Will it make me want to read the book?
Yes. I hadn’t read, or even heard, of Fantastic Mr. Fox before this movie. Now I’m very curious to see how much of the knowing plot was Dahl, and how much was Anderson. (I suspect the bit about not getting cell reception in their underground lair is the latter.)
When’s a good time for a bathroom break?
The whole film is only 90 minutes long. I think you can hold it.
Is it worth the price of a theater ticket, or should I wait for the DVD?
Personally, when the movie ended I was sorry that I couldn’t immediately click on the Special Features and see how it was made. On the other hand, we never would have caught the level of detail watching it on our small screen, low definition television set. If you’re limiting your holiday-season moviegoing I don’t know that this is the one you’ll want to see. But if you do go you’ll have a good time.
