Wes Anderson's Perfect Transition to the Mainstream, and You Know They Need Him There

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2010)

Fantastic Mr. Fox is technically one of the very best films ever created. That may sound like an overstatement, but only to those who overlook the few filmmakers out there who are actually advancing the art, the way an art is supposed to be advanced. Wes Anderson is one of those filmmakers, and you can't study film without seeing that his clear, playacting style of film is completely original and making waves in dozens, if not hundreds of young directors. There's a reason why Scorcese called Wes Anderson "the new Scorsese"- being about the biggest compliment Scorcese could give. But up until now, the cause for this compliment has only been demonstrated in a small set of perfectly crafted adult comedies like "Rushmore", "The Royal Tennenbaums", and "The Darjeeling Limited".
Well, at last Wes Anderson has created something that we can all watch together. But what's cooler is that the decision on Mr. Anderson's part to make something for General Audinces doesn't appear at all to be based on caring about that at all, let alone having some Dreamworks-esquire Disney-envy; but upon the fact that– like Walt Disney– Wes Anderson simply has a genuine appreciation of Aesopic storytelling, and is extraordinarily good at both it, and animation. In fact, no one has added as much to the canon on how humanized animals could behave since Disney himself (note Anderson's animals' sudden bursts of raw animalistic behavior when eating and fighting, which serves hilariously to both animalize the characters more, and even build their strengths– while simultaneously satirizing certain human behaviors that can often be, humorously animalistic themselves).
In fact it looks as though all can be glad because– as you'll see a lot of critics saying– if there's anyone who could give Disney a run for their incalculable money, it's Anderson. We're all impressed by Disney– that's why I always hope they have someone keeping them on their toes. But again, taking down Disney does not seem to be one of Anderson's motivations at all. Again, it's his natural, evident love for what he's done here with Fantastic Mr. Fox that makes Mr. Anderson the most likely person to succeed, however incidentally, at creating the next major animation studio with it's own thing going. And he should do exactly that, between live action films.
When successful, center-buzz art-film directors like Wes Anderson get all the more artsy, with full-on stop-motion animation (which, once you quickly get past the initial movement of it with the help of some excellent storytelling, can look more real than the best cgi– because you can feel that it IS real) and the result is mainstream fare, however intentionally limited it's release, I feel like falling over with joy. And how impressive is it that a feature-length, stop-motion animation film– which, being more foreign now, requires stronger storytelling to suspend the audience's disbelief– works as well as a Pixar film; and what does that say about Wes Anderson's storytelling ability?
Now, about the film– I love it when people think that animation is just for kids, so I will tell you that this is more of a family film than a kid's movie; and I'm saying that because everyone will enjoy this film more if they know what they're getting into– i.e. adults should know and not just be surprised by the fact that they are probably the film's intended core audience– because that's cool here. Looney Tunes were the same way. For example, with Mr. Fox, all of the dialogue is very proper and intelligent, and many, many of the situational and subtle humor will be less grappled by kids. It is not, however, dirty. It also involves a hilariously satirical depiction of the use of swearing, wherein the characters will begin to say sentences that overuse the word "cuss", in places where there would normally be even some of the spiciest language, in reality. That being said, I don't know how that can hurt kids any more than public school. And when it comes to how even little children will enjoy what really is advanced entertainment, it's still a bunch of talking animals. They freaking love it.
So while this new style of animating may in a very real way compete with the best, it will do so because it's really nothing like it, especially when compared to how close the other competitors all are to each other. This is not Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or A bug's Life, or something in between– because in spite of the fact that the characters are a bunch of talking animals, it's still– in every other way– very different than other cartoons. And if it's slightly more mature than the rest, that's because it's a Wes Anderson take on a Roald Dahl story– and both are noted for mischief, high invention, and the flavour of England.
And Fantastic Mr. Fox, while being a reminder of Wes Anderson's unparalleled auteurism– which includes his firm grasp on Art Direction, Direction, Writing, Story, Costuming, Music, and about twenty other key elements in film– is, perhaps first and foremost, a quintessential reminder of just how truly, truly funny he can be. He's one of the world's greatest humorist, and we wouldn't believe it because we're living in his time. When you really stop and analyze it– all of his trademarks are chosen because of their specific power to accentuate or produce humor– the only exception being that which he implements for the accentuation or production of pure, good, old-fashioned tomfoolery. And if the latter is not for the kids, then nothing is.
I love Wes Anderson's films, and in a very thought-through kind of way, I think that Fantastic Mr. Fox might just be his best one. That is saying about as much about this film as I can say. It's absolutely perfect, and I hope Anderson takes us on this kind of outing again and often.
Bravo, Wes Anderson. You rule.