'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is cleverly executed

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2010)

Based on Roald Dahl's children's novel of the same name, Fantastic Mr. Fox is about a thieving fox named Mr. Fox. Once he finds out his wife is pregnant, he sheds his thieving ways, raises a family and becomes a journalist. However, his old habits don't remain dormant for long and he starts to steal chickens, ducks, turkeys, and cider each night from three mean and wealthy farmers--Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Fed up, the farmers decide to try to ambush him with whatever means possible, which causes a lot of grief for his family and friends.
Directed and written (based on Dahl's novel) by Wes Anderson (Rushmore), Mr. Fox has been created in the old school tradition of stop motion animation. While the creatures may not look slick and perfect like CG, they have an infectious charm of looking handcrafted, cuddly, and solid. Their facial expressions and their movements have subtleties that give a human touch you don't get with CG.
When I was in elementary school, I recall a time when the teacher read us the book. I remember the story being not too complicated. It did, however, make me want to try apple cider—I loved the way the author described it. Here, the plot, dialogue, and characters have been expanded to create a satiric story full of ironic touches, extra details, and modernized. These details really set the mood. The animals are all fully dressed and talk like adults, about their family issues, mortgages, and life decisions. Mr. Fox's family includes his wife Mrs. Fox, his son Ash, and his overachieving nephew, Kristofferson. The family dynamics are fun and almost sitcom-like. I suppose they could have their own TV show. The animal neighbors of Mr. Fox are equally human in their behavior, with a dash of erratic animal wildness thrown in.
The three farmers play the bad guys, and while most humans aren't portrayed as complex as the animals, the meaner characters are presented with flourish. Mr. Bean (I think that was the farmer's name), the leader of the farmers, is lean, sinister-looking, covered in shadows, has a pistol in hand and eerily-lit cigarette lighting his face. The music also plays an integral part in creating various moods of the film, including a zany musical number involving banjos, and occasional retro-style soulful vocals. There are also moments that parody other films, such as West Side Story.
Anderson's dialogue is clever, and Mr. Fox is quite the spitfire with words. I bet some kids will find the wordiness a little boring (although amusing for us adults). Nevertheless, it is a fun film, something's always happening, and there's plenty of breezy action. It's definitely a lot lighthearted than Where The Wild Things Are (a fine, analytical film, if not particularly focused for the kids). For those who are purists of the source material, they may find this film a little too smug and Mr. Fox too aware of himself for his own good.
George Clooney in the voice of Mr. Fox is a perfect fit—in fact, the role must've been tailor-fit for him. One can't imagine anyone else playing Mr. Fox. Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox and Bill Murray as Badger are fun, and Willem Dafoe as Rat (a villain role) is hilarious. Overall, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a fun film that is cleverly written and executed, helped by George Clooney's star power and delivery. For some, it may seem like Mr. Fox is constantly winking at the audience, but even those who may not love the film will still find many things to like about it. I give this film *** out of **** stars.
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