Fantastic Mr. Fox [DVD] [2009]

In typical Wes Anderson fashion, the director’s 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox takes a kooky yet endearing approach to a classic children’s novel. The story follows Mr. Fox, a father and husband who has tried to leave behind his free-spirited, wily ways for a peaceful, idealistic lifestyle. Despite the comfortable life he leads, he still feels tempted by his old ways as a chicken stealer. So, when he and his family move into a new tree overlooking the land of the town’s three most notorious farmers, Mr. Fox derives a plan to settle his appetite for the sly ways of his youth. Crafty as he may be, it isn’t long before Mr. Fox is tangled in much more trouble than he anticipated, and all the animals of the town may be in danger if he can’t swallow his pride and change his ways. Though it is Wes Anderson’s sixth film, alongside those such as The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox is his first animated movie. The film is based on a children’s book of the same title written by the acclaimed British author Roald Dahl in 1970, which Anderson recalls as the first Roald Dahl book he ever owned as a child. His inspiration to retell the story through a film was particularly inspired by the intriguing and endearing character Dahl created in Mr. Fox. As if Roald Dahl’s original story wasn’t delightful enough, Wes Anderson’s quirky yet heartwarming on-screen depiction adds a whole other dimension to the appeal. The dialogue is pitch perfect, and the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the animated characters give them a presence just as strong as any actors would have in the flesh. The characters are so relatable that they wear off on you-- sometimes I even catch myself mimicking Mr. Fox’s trademark whistle-whistle click-click. Fantastic Mr. Fox is offbeat and overflowing with the witty, unconventional humor that Anderson is best at. Most of all, though, the film’s strength lies in its unexpected dosage of heart. Sure, sometimes the stop-motion animation thing can be a little creepy. But with strong voice actors like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson propelling the witty and captivating storyline and dialogue, what could be strange is instead inexplicably charming. The same goes for the mix between human and animal traits that the characters reveal. Anderson creates a careful balance between their tendencies, which dodges any uncomfortable or eerie inclinations and instead adds a captivating realism to the animal characters. For anyone who grew up treasuring Roald Dahl’s books, Wes Anderson’s wonderfully weird take on the story is a must-see. Anderson’s imaginative portrayal of the classic story is surprisingly satisfying film for children and adults alike. As Mrs. Fox says, “We’re all different. But there’s something kind of fantastic about that, isn’t there?” The same certainly goes for the film, but in the same way, such is the nature of its charm.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is based on the children's story by Roald Dahl, though it has been embellished a great deal by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach. Mr. Fox (George Clooney) has put the dangerous life of a poultry thief behind him and settled down with Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) and a newspaper job. But, never satisfied with the ordinary, Mr. Fox wants to move out of their hole into fancier digs in a treehouse near the Boggis, Bunce, and Bean farms, which prove to be too much temptation. Mr. Fox desperately wants to pull off one last poultry caper. With his hapless opossum handyman Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky) in tow, he aims to rob all three farms -which doesn't sit well with the human farmers, especially Mr. Bean (Michael Gambon), who vows to kill the crafty fox. This is cute enough for children and clever enough to satisfy adults, who will appreciate Mr. Fox's blunt talk. The addition of two young characters, the Fox's son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and nephew Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson), seems stranger the more I think about it. But the two young oddballs seem to be there to provide an everybody-has-something-to-contribute theme for the children in the audience. Actually, fans of the story may be more surprised by the changes in theme than in the plot. The derring-do that makes Mr. Fox so "fantastic" is the object of much criticism, and the plot has been wrangled to service "family values" themes. That puts a damper on its irreverence, but there is still a lot to like in "Fantastic Mr. Fox", including richly colored stop-motion animation.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a 2009 stop-motion animated film with a voice cast starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe, adapted from a children's novel of the same name. While raiding a chicken farm, Mr. Fox and his wife become trapped but escape, but not until he has promised his pregnant wife to find a safer employment to feed the new family. Even with his new job and life, Mr. Fox is not happy and goes back to stealing produce from 3 farmers, who now seek to end his life, but he out foxes them. However, a flood of cider from the farmers forces the animals to live in a sewer with new confrontations from the farmers, but all is well that ends well, so watch and see why this film was nominated for several awards.

This is a fantastic movie! Even though I am a Wes Anderson fan, this movie slipped below my radar until I bought it on a whim. This movie is totally awesome and appropriate for kids of all ages. The sight gags are hilarious, and it's impossible for me not to laugh at the end of Petey's Song. The voice acting and writing are great; I think George Clooney was the perfect Mr. Fox. The animation and set design have incredible detail, and the extras gave great insight on how they created the look and feel of the movie. As with other Anderson movies, the music selection and soundtrack are wonderful. If you have not seen this movie, you haved missed out on a real gem. I have recommended this movie to all my friends.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is an entertaining, visually pleasing tale based on the classic book by Roald Dahl. In the film, Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a former bird thief who goes against the wishes of his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep) and returns to his criminal life. Unfortunately, Mr. Fox takes things a bit too far, and his shenanigans cause three local farmers to wage war on the entire Fox family, which also implicates all the other critters in the area.

This is one of those rare films that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, it has humor for all ages and moves along at a nice pace. It was directed by Wes Anderson so it maintains his particular sense of quirk and style. The voices of George Clooney, Bill Murray, and Meryl Streep added to the overall feel of the film, giving a certain sense of familiarity. It's a movie that will be watched again many times in my household.

This is a terrific film that will appeal to the kid in all of us. The filmakers have truly captured the spirit of Roald Dahll's classic book and brought it into the modern age with witty screenwriting and excellent voice talent. The stop-motion animation is a refreshing throwback to the days before computers were doing most of the work. A lot of love and care was put into this film by it's creators and it shows. Highly recommended!!!!

Witty, unique and different. The stop motion animation is top notch. The characters and voices for the characters are great. There seems to be this weirdness and fun to the whole film. The actual maquettes used for the stop motion are intriguing to look at and humorous. The animation itself is a strong characteristic alone to keep you watching. Standard packaging and affordable price.