Side-Splittingly Hilarious

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2010)

this was so frick'in funny i almost bust a gut. the movie was really trippy. it was like watching a retro stop motion cartoon, a Roald Dahl story, and a Wes Anderson film with all those elements playing equally. i mean i thought this was going to be basically a straight adaptation of the book and a stop motion film that had Anderson's name on it. i was amused to find how much it seemed like a Wes Anderson film. it had so many of the elements that made 'Aquatic' and 'Darjeeling' so good.
George Clooney does more than just give his usual first rate performance here. he's hilarious. there is just something about his straight forward delivery that just sends you sprawling on the floor laughing. the rest of the cast is very funny and Jason Swartzman is especially cute.
you won't get how funny the film is unless you note how subtle the humor actually is. take the one scene where the foxes are relaxing outdoors and listening to the song 'Love' from Disney's cartoon classic 'Robin Hood'. another well known cartoon about foxes.
this was a great return to classic hand done stop motion animation. it's great that some people can still master the old craftsmanship and don't let it die. they say Wes Anderson was hardly present during the filming. strange, since his style and approach is all over this movie. funny stuff.