Fantastic Mr. Fox focuses on the adventures of Mr. Fox , voiced by George Clooney. After his wife, Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) becomes pregnant, Mr. Fox promises to give up his previous occupation: chicken snatching. Taking a job with the local paper as a columnist, Mr.Fox has grown disillusioned as his son grows up, missing the thrill of chicken snatching and feeling held back in his material ambitions.
When he spends all his money on moving to a big tree on the hillside, Mr. Fox is confronted by the three farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, the three most unscrupulous - and successful - producers of poultry and cider in the land. With the help of his handyman Kylie, and nephew Kristofferson, Fox manages to steal from the three.
This however leads to the farmers, led by Bean (Michael Gambon), in to enacting brutal revenge, destroying Mr. Fox's home, and those of all his animal friends. Fox eventually leads his own fightback against them, with the help of his friends.
Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox, despite being an animation based on a Roald Dahl book, follows many of the same themes and stylistic devices as Wes Anderson's previous work, and as such does not come across as the expected anomaly in his filmography.
Anderson has previously experimented with stop-motion animation, utilising the talents of Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) to create fantastical marine life for 2004's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. For Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson has taken a step back from Selick's work in terms of sophistication.
Henry Selick's most recent film, Coraline (2009), experimented with 3D and used CGI to accentuate the stop motion, giving the film a glossy appearance not normally associated with stop-motion. Anderson has stuck to the basics of the medium, using cling film for waterfalls and cotton wool for smoke. This rough, do-it-yourself charm fits Dahl's work well.
George Clooney
Anderson makes use of an impressive voice cast, many of whom are regulars of his work. George Clooney plays Mr. Fox himself, with Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox. Although not Anderson regulars, Clooney and Streep fit the style of comedy he excels in well. Clooney's slick, ultimately unhappy Mr. Fox is a subtle play on the actor's public perception, and Clooney's natural charm transfers to his animated character.
Alongside Mr. Fox for the majority of the film is Kylie, voiced by Wallace Wolodarsky, a character unsuited for the adventures Mr. Fox embarks on. Kylie helps the humour flow throughout the film, allowing some moments of genuine emotion and depth for Mr. Fox himself.
The other key roles are given to Anderson regulars. Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore (1998) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007)) voices Ash, Mr. Fox's son. More than any other character in the film, Ash represents most acutely the type of person typical of Anderson's work: distant, annoyed, and suffering from father issues. Schwartzman voices him expertly, recalling his career-making performance in Rushmore.
Bill Murray makes brief but memorable appearances as Badger, Owen Wilson makes an even more fleeting cameo as Coach Skip, and Michael Gambon excels as Bean, the most despicable of the farmers. Willem Dafoe meanwhile steals his scenes as the Bayou-voiced rat protecting cider.
Wes Anderson
Although ostensibly a children's film, Fantastic Mr. Fox allows itself some depth, in the form of father issues between Mr. Fox and Ash. Despite Ash's best efforts, Mr. Fox seems unimpressed with him, and constantly raves about his nephew, Kristofferson. This theme features heavily in most of Anderson's work, most prominently in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.
Anderson also does not dumb down his script, co-written with Noah Baumbach, and makes several jokes that would be above most young children. The use of physical comedy and exciting set-pieces do provide for a younger audience, and produce a fair balance between the two which creates for a family experience, and results in a film for Roald Dahl fans young and old.
 |
