I have a phobia of wolves.

Rating: 8/10 (9 September 2015)

At the heart of Fantastic Mr Fox is a tale about masculinity, and one that is served up within the narrative of a fox instead of a human, and so the phallic symbol is instead a tail. This tail is worn as a trophy and is the objective for both Mr Fox and Ash, the less than athletic son who is living in the shadow of his father and his cousin's ability/achievements. Both these character's story lines are written well, no matter how close or far they may be from the Roald Dahl novel. And the stop motion animation makes for a great medium for these children's books which also carry heavier themes. If we can't get hand drawn animated Quentin Blake style illustrations (someone get on that) then this way is equally as good. It's all accompanied by the pleasant and whimsical score of Desplat. The mandolin, flute and xylophone combine quite well especially in the third track, and Kristofferson's Theme is a wonderfully melancholy accompaniment to the quiet whirring of the toy train which stifles a young fox's tears. Additionally, the childlike gibberish and chanting of Petey's Song by Jarvis Croker is charming and not a bad song in the slightest.
At times the visuals and fluidity reaches the heights of Wallace and Gromit and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which is no easy feat to do. The art design is meticulously gorgeous, right down to the 12 chickens miniature meals, the scientific contraptions of Bean, the water splash effects, the spotless kitchen, the grimy television set, a miniature working motorcycle complete with sidecar! The world of across the river is beautifully and stunningly realised with loving care and detail. Given most of it was captured in live action, it retains a cinematic quality; I particularly love the lighting that is displayed in 3 separate ways in the cellar of Bean, down to the warm glow that illuminates all the bottles of apple cider. The humans are realised with a wonderful sense of character and ambition - well Bean mostly, who is stick thin yet sinister, dark yet lively. The little disappointment was the fur of the fox models, which bristled in the wind but felt a little like fake toys, especially with the fondness of Anderson to use extreme close ups to showcase emotion. The welling of tears in the eyes is well done, but looks almost too good next to the plastic strands of orange and white.
The voice cast is mostly adequate. Owen Wilson as Anderson alumni was easily recognisable as the sports coach, but that did not stick out. Two in particular stick out to me, and it's a shame that they are two main characters. Firstly, Jason Schwartzman as a long time Anderson collaborator voices Ash, which I feel is a big misstep given how authentically his character is written with real pangs of jealously and moodiness as well as bravery and sympathy. These would shine a lot more had an appropriately aged voice actor be cast. Schwartzman sounds too sarcastic, too whiny, and is overshadowed by Eric Anderson as the wonderfully tender Kristofferson. The second issue is with Clooney as Mr Fox, who is immediately recognisable from the get go. His strong and confident voice is appropriate for some scenes, like when he takes the lead in digging, or when he is chastising Kylie while raiding and killing chickens. Other more vulnerable scenes he simply does not echo the screenplay, such as the heart-to-heart with Felicity near the waterfall, or the talk with Ash. It doesn't ruin those moments, but hearing how unshaken or how callous Clooney sounds is a little jarring.
One of those moments is one of my favourite of the whole film, the encounter near the end with the wolf. It's a culmination of the entire narrative arc of Mr Fox's struggle with his inherent animalistic nature, which is so humorously displayed whenever they wolf down a delicacy (but not before slowly savouring in visually, which adds to the appeal of the humour). In the beginning, he attempts to woo Felicity by showing his dangerous and wild side, how easily he snaps the chicken's neck. We never find out how effective this was, because the pregnancy of Ash forces him to find another way of life. Years later (how many fox years is that?) he is unable to fight his urges and risks his life to start up again. The consequences of this are drastic, and again he must fight against feeding his own ego and appetite for adventure (watch how effortlessly he steals attention from Badger during the toast - Clooney's voice is especially great when addressing crowds and speaking of his own victories). He loses his tail and his symbol for masculinity in the process, but reconciles - another pregnancy confronts him and he decides to return to his domesticated way of life. "I have a phobia of wolves!" he shouts, yet we are now struck but how unafraid he sounds compared to those moments beforehand when someone mentions wolves. He can no longer run away into the wilderness like the wolf can, a beast of wild, unbridled power, but he still shares a momentary sign of recognition. He can at least speak English, unlike the wolf. And he can also gorge himself at Boggis, Bunce and Bean Supermarkets.
Fantastic Mr Fox, despite its shortcomings, is a delightful little tale that hits emotional notes with surprising complexity considering its source material is a children's novel. The stop motion medium is perhaps where Anderson's picture book/painterly aesthetic shines; whether you call it needlessly quirky or not (hint: it's not). It takes talking animals and gives them a warm and whimsical tone, but not without pulling its punches when more serious moments call for reflection. I don't think that stop motion watery tears welling from a plastic eyeball could ever substitute real life sadness, but Fox sure tries its best.