Stop-Motion At Its Finest

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2016)

Forced to watch this movie as part of a school project after reading the book, I was not particularly looking forward to this one. I ended up liking it, however. I have a deep respect for stop-motion animators, not only because they laid the groundwork for the mind- blowing special effects of today, but also because of the countless hours they put into their work-- and it shows here.
The best part of the movie is undoubtedly the animation; unless you're a huge Roald Dahl fan, that's the reason you're going to watch this. The film also has a star-studded voice cast and an enjoyable, if eccentric, score. The film almost certainly would have won Best Animated Feature if the near-flawless Up hadn't come out in the same year. Kids should be reasonably entertained, and adults will be charmed as well.
On the negative side, the film adds to, shuffles around, and changes the source material drastically, but even the most die-hard fans of Dahl will admit that there wasn't a whole lot to turn into a feature-length film to begin with. Some of the additions work, and some definitely feel tacked-on and unnecessary. The film also markets itself as being "hilarious," which it is not; it is occasionally humorous at best. There are also a few glaringly obvious CGI insertions at times, which take the viewer out of the experience a bit.
Overall, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a fun family film with outstanding animation and plenty to entertain audiences with for its 87-minute run-time. Get the kids and some popcorn, and enjoy this visual treat.