Ryan McNeil
“You know, you really are fantastic.”
“I try.”
Such carefree cockiness can be a good thing. It instills into others an illusion of confidence and control. Sometimes, it can distract them from the madcap ideas that are really going through your head. Other times, it just re-enforces the notion that the genius of your ways comes easily. When it comes to Mr. Fox…it’s really a little bit of both.
Based on a children’s book by Roald Dahl, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX is about the life and times of its titular character 9voiced by George Clooney). He has a pretty good life, but still finds himself suffering through a late-life crisis. His wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) is understanding, and tells him to do whatever he needs to do…as long as “whatever” doesn’t involve poaching. I’m not certain he heard her, because he shortly buys the family a new splendid home in a tree…a tree with a view of three of the biggest farms in the land. And of course, the three farms have bounty just begging to be poached.
As he plots out his master plan, Mr. Fox is in a world all his own. As such, he is oblivious to the social difficulties his son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) is having…though they have noticed he seems to be acting “different”. Side note – in the world of woodland creatures, they still use hand gestures for quotations…but it’s a slightly different wave of the hand. Ash’s discourse isn’t eased any when his cousin Kristoferson (Eric Chase Anderson) comes to stay with the Foxes. He is easy going, confident, and athletically gifted. Essentially every Ash is not. To say that the two have an uneasy relationship would be putting it mildly.
However, much of this is lost on Mr. Fox who has set his sights on Boggins, Bunce, and Bean. These three farms house some of the most sublime delights a fox could want. Two out of three go just swimmingly. However when he is caught mid-heist on the third, all hell breaks loose. The farmers seek revenge, and aren’t afraid of destroying half the forrest to do it – rendering many of Fox’s neighbour’s homeless. What’s a fox to do?
THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX is directed by Wes Anderson (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, RUSHMORE), and while it is a family film and an animated feature, it is 100% a Wes Anderson film. All of the director’s usual trademarks are accounted for: the sweeping camera moves, a dollhouse view of a large structure, a role for Bill Murray, a killer soundtrack. Actually, the one touchstone missing is a concluding slow-mo shot. It couldn’t have been easy for Anderson to bring such a fanciful story into his cannon, but he has done so in a way that doesn’t feel forced, and captures the whimsy of such a story quite nicely.
The stop-motion animation style of the movie feels very charming in its inperfections, and becomes quite endearing. There isn’t any attempt to render the images in a perfect, seamless manner. As such, everything feels more organic, and helps to set the film apart from the trillion-and-one CG animated stories that studios like Dreamworks have leaned on. That’s not to say that the animation is sub-par, far from it actually. There is one scene in particular where Mr and Mrs Fox are speaking on a bridge with a waterfall rushing behind them. The moment is as stunning and elegant as anything Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks or any of the others have ever animated.
It’s also worth mentioning that the voice work has an unusual warmth to it. The tone was actually achieved by not only recording the actors together (rather than each one doing their parts seperately as has become the norm), but by recording the voices in an attic, a stable, and even walking in the woods. As such, the characters feel like they are playing off each other just that little bit more. Likewise, I am thankful that Anderson didn’t feel the need to stack the film with recognizable voices. By knowing when to say “when” where vocal talent is concerned, he keeps the audience’s attention…rather than losing them to a game of “why do I recognize that voice”?
Whether it’s fair or not, Anderson is being grouped in as part of a trio of directors adapting classic children’s tales this winter. The series began in October with Spike Jonze’s take on WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and will conclude in March when Tim Burton brings us ALICE IN WONDERLAND. They are very different films, but so far MR. FOX AND WILD THINGS have one thing in common: both fail to elevate to the level they should achieve. MR. FOX takes us up to the highest point in the land, waves it’s arm proudly and says “Look!”. We take in a very pretty view…but that’s all. The experience doesn’t leave us changed in any way, but it sure was nice to see. It’s a bit of a harsh criticism, but it comes with expectations of the talent involved. (I’m looking at you Burton).
As I reflect on that thought, I realize it might send the wrong message and appear contradictory. To be clear – THE FANTASTIC MR FOX is not a home run…but it most definitely is a triple to the corner.
I remember leading up to this lots of bloggers were really making fun of how it looked, and how dumb the acting sounds, now I can't find a single one of them who watched it and disliked it. I'm looking forward to catching this whenever I get the chance, great review!
Univarn, I'm your one.
I saw the previews, I thought the animation looked awful, I saw it, and my worst fears were realized.
Wes Anderson has done, basically, the same movie again, but this time, with bad stop motion animation.
I understand the older look and feel he was going for, and he achieves that, but other parts just look bad and they are likely due to the fact that he phoned in the directing job from France or he thought it was a good idea and it wasn't.
I understand, however, that Wes Anderson fans love his stuff and will love Fantastic Mr. Fox, and that's fine, but I don't like his stuff and this was more of the same for me.
Hmmm…I was really looking forward to this film! Love Wes Anderson! I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed by your review. I guess I will still go and see it though…
@ Univarn… I didn't notice anyone dissing it, but maybe I wasn't reading the same sites/boards. Can't wait to read your thoughts when you catch it.
@ Critique… First off – welcome! Thanks for taking a moment to peruse my little patch of cyberspace!
First of all, I can totally understand not being a Wes fan. I've written two pieces oin recent weeks about The Coen Brothers, and while I find them less accessible than Wes, both directors are a particular brand of vodka.
That said, I wouldn't say FOX is so much of a Wes movie that your average film-goer won't dig it. He was actually quite involved with the filmmaking, and I think over tome it will age quite nicely. What parts did you think looked bad?
Great timing on your comment btw, juxtaposing Univarn right on cue. Hopefully you'll read more of my stuff and comment some more.
@ Vanessa… Re-readoing what I wrote, I think I was a bit unclear. The movie is rather good – indeed "fantastic". I just tend to go into Wes movies these days looking for perfection.
It's a great flick, a fun time, and a solid bit of filmmaking. Go see it and get cracking on writing a more effusive review than mine 😉
I really enjoyed Fantastic Mr Fox. I’m really not into animation and all this supper realistic 3D, CGI that is going on at the moment leaves me cold. This was warm, engaging and funny. It probably fails as a kid’s film as the jokes may go over their heads and kinds used to modern animation probably won’t like the style of it but other than that I can’t think of anything wrong with the movie, which must mean it was pretty good!
@ Fandango… Totally know where you're coming from on the CG leaving a cold feeling. The fact that FOX counters that is one of the things I love about it so much.
Maybe in part, it's because it reminds me of the sort of animation I grew up with.
Alright…I was surprised at your 3 1/2 star rating…maybe it made me read the review in a negative light.
@ Vanessa… Remember that I rate movies up to four stars. So me giving it three and a half is a score of 88%