Memorably Joyous

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2009)

This is easily Wes Anderson's finest film. I've enjoyed his films in the past but I never thought any of them were truly 'fantastic'! But, this one is extremely amusing, mesmerizing, and an absolute joy to watch.
Much will likely be made of the quality of special effects. Yet, that will dramatically miss the point of this great film. The actors voices are perfect for their characters. But, regardless of the actors or special effects, what ultimately makes a movie rise above others (as evidenced by the greatness of the first three Star Wars films, for example, as opposed to the droll final three) is writing and dialog.
The combination of Anderson's best dialog of any film he's written or directed with excellent interpretation and the great original story line from Roald Dahl and voilÃ - a fantastic film about a fantastic fox.
This simply has not been a banner year for films. In fact, there haven't been many great movies in recent years (one wonders - did all the writers simply quit permanently?). But, this is easily the best film of 2009 released to date even if it was animation. Go see it, you will not be disappointed.