It’s time to go into the world of Wes Anderson. The VJA Film Society showed Fantastic Mr. Fox, the 2009 stop-motion animated film directed by Wes Anderson and starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman. It is rated PG and based off of a 1970 novel of the same name written by Roald Dahl.
Mr. Fox had spent his days stealing food from farms, but has since devoted his time writing for newspapers. He does this to appease his wife, who is pregnant & was concerned about his dangerous life of stealing. However, temptation kicks in and he decides to go for one more heist on mean farmers Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce, and Franklin Bean. This turns out to be a mistake when the farmers start hunting him, his family, and his community. He must fight back in order to save everyone. Will he be able to undo his mistake?
The first thing to point out is the serious nature of this movie. Despite the PG rating, this is definitely a movie more for teenagers and adults than for children. This helps it to stand out more and have a longer lasting impact than most animated movies. I also like how this movie pays homage to classic heist movies with the way the fox stole from the farmers and how the farmers sought revenge. The movie invokes feelings of classic heist movies even though it’s animated and features anthropomorphic animals. Speaking of the animation, it’s very impressive. I’ve been a big fan of stop-motion animation for a while. Movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas utilize this animation style and are very well done. It’s the same thing for this movie. Now that I’ve talked about good things in the making of this movie, let’s move on to the story.
The story is compelling in showing how someone’s selfishness and mistakes can lead to disaster for not only themselves, but everyone else as well. Mr. Fox definitely goes through a change in character and finds his redemption. A subplot involves Mr. Fox’s son Ash and his jealousy of his visiting cousin Kristofferson. He ended up hating Kristofferson because of how well he was doing in everything, but eventually their relationship gets better and Ash even finds out the things that make him special. The villains Boggis, Bunce, and Bean are also portrayed to be the meanest and nastiest characters that they can be, by doing more than just stopping the thievery, but hunting down Mr. Fox and his family. Because of this, it is very easy for the audience to root against them.
The final thing I would like to mention is how much I enjoyed this movie. It has some really fun moments outside of the more serious storyline. There are a few comedic lines, especially from George Clooney as Mr. Fox. The movie even allows for adult jokes involved in the humor. This helps to ease some of the tension from the film.
Ultimately, I liked this movie. It was a great animated movie and one of the most unique out there. This is recommended to those who are fans of stop-motion animation, Wes Anderson, or PG rated movies that include more adult themes. A very well done job that deserves a lot of praise.
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