Wes Anderson serves up a ‘Fantastic’ animated film
It was one of those weeks were I opted to watch a movie at home
on DVD rather than heading out to the theater where the pickings
were slim for anyone not still in their teens (
”
Twilight Eclipse
”
and
”
The Last Airbender
”
were the two big openers.) Interestingly enough, I opted to
watch a movie whose source is geared at the young adult set.
Wes Anderson serves up a ‘Fantastic’ animated film
It was one of those weeks were I opted to watch a movie at home on DVD rather than heading out to the theater where the pickings were slim for anyone not still in their teens (“Twilight Eclipse” and “The Last Airbender” were the two big openers.) Interestingly enough, I opted to watch a movie whose source is geared at the young adult set.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” came out last year and while I had all intentions of seeing it at the theater, it was one of those times when a ton of movies were out and I missed it. The movie melds two unique voices into one thoroughly entertaining film. The first voice is that of Roald Dahl, a young adult author who is known for his quirky novels. He is, after all, the writer of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “The Witches,” all of which have already been adapted into movies. Dahl’s work is engaging enough to keep kids reading after all these years, and to keep adults rereading the novels.
The other voice is that of director and screenwriter Wes Anderson, for whom the word quirky is not quite strong enough to describe his work. He wrote and directed “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” among others.
Anderson is one of those directors who goes back to the same talent for many of his films and it’s the same with “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” in which Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman all have roles. But instead of live action, the actors do voiceover for a hodgepodge of animated characters filmed in stop-motion.
It’s a departure from Anderson’s other films, but he somehow manages to maintain the same feel of his other films through the dialogue and expressions of the characters. The voice-acting is well done and the voices are recognizable. George Clooney’s suaveness comes through as does Jason Schwartzman’s slightly neurotic tendencies, making the film stronger than many other animated films out there.
Anderson paid immense attention to detail in the movie. The characters have fur that moves ever so slightly from scene to scene, and even the clothing they wear is tailor-made from fabric to give it a real feel.
Though the movie is based on a kids’ book and is animated, it definitely has more of an adult feel to it with some of the jokes, including Anderson’s use of the word “cuss” in place of cuss words. It’s a joke that may be missed by adolescent viewers, but the adults in the room will be in on it and fill in the blanks.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is Mr. Joe Cool. He wears a suit, he has a trademark whistle and tongue click, and he has a knack for getting out of sticky situations when he works as a thief. But he gives up his career as a squab thief when he finds out his wife Mrs. Fox (voiced by Meryl Streep) is pregnant with a cub. Two years later (12 fox years later), he lives in a burrow with his wife and son Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman). He works as a newspaper columnist and he hates living underground because it makes him feel poor. He also wonders allowed if anyone really reads his column (something a lot of journalists probably wonder from time to time.)
Mr. Fox decides to change that by renting a tree in another neighborhood, against the advice of his friend and attorney Badger (Bill Murray.) Badger warns him that the loan he is taking out has high interest and that the new home is in a dangerous neighborhood with three mean farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean.
Though Mr. Fox has been straight for years now, the proximity to the chicken farm, the duck farm and the cider factory is too much for him to resist. He quickly hatches a master plan to sneak onto each property and steal provisions. He gets help from Kylie (voiced by Wallace Wolodarsky,) a possum who has a fear of thunder.
As his father begins his descent into criminal activity again, Ash is dealing with his own problems. He is a small fox who likes to wear a cape to school and can only be described as a little different, as his mother so delicately puts it. His differences become more pronounced when his athletic cousin Kristofferson (voiced by Eric Anderson) comes to stay with the family. Kristofferson is a pro at diving and school sports, chemistry and getting the girl.
Things go awry for the foxes and their friends when the three farmers get wise to Mr. Fox’s night time excursions onto their property. They vow to get him at any cost. Mr. Fox has to outwit the farmers and win over his neighbors who blame him for getting them into trouble. And of course, Ash’s rivalry with his cousin leads to a little more drama when Ash tries to prove he is just as good as his cousin.
I’m not quite sure if there was a moral to this animated film, as there so often is, but it is worth a watch for Anderson and Dahl fans alike.
Melissa Flores can be reached at
mf*****@pi**********.com
. She writes a blog about movies, TV, food and more at http://melissa-movielines.blogspot.com.
