Well, maybe not fantastic but definitely pretty good

Rating: 8/10 (24 September 2010)

I'll preface this review of Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" by stating that I'm not really much of a fan of Mr. Anderson's films. For those who enjoy his work, though, this, despite being a bit of a departure, contains much of interest.
The story (based on a Roald Dahl children's book) concerns the exploits of a group of anthropomorphic animals, principally a family of foxes. Mr. Fox is a reformed thief who's grown bored of his sedate lifestyle and is hankering for one last job. However, when he formulates a plan and puts it into practise he soon finds that the retaliation may be more than he can handle.
George Clooney plays Mr. Fox and, while he does a good job, I have a thing against animated characters being voiced by instantly recognizable actors. In contrast, Meryl Streep & Jason Schwartzman are more reasonable choices and they both give good readings, especially Schwartzman, who gives the film's best performance in my opinion. Apart from these individuals, the cast includes Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon and others, all of whom turn in satisfactory performances.
The script occupies a strange middle ground between a children's story and a story aimed at adults. Given this fact, I'm not surprised that the film barely made back half it's budget at the U.S. box office. I wouldn't recommend it for kids and I expect that the adult market for animation is pretty limited. Nevertheless, the script is more literate than usual for an American animated film, so therefore a welcome change of pace.
Visually, the film is a sight to behold. The use of stop-motion animation sets it apart from most contemporary animated films and I really have to applaud Anderson's direction. Musically, the film is above average as well. Prominent use is made of "Heroes and Villains" (The Beach Boys), "Street Fighting Man" (The Rolling Stones) and, for the finale, the Bobby Fuller Four gem "Let Her Dance". None of it makes much sense in context but it's good to hear nonetheless.
Ultimately, I think that "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a well-made animated film but likely one with a narrow audience. Like Wes Anderson's other films, this one seems like it was made to appeal mainly to fans of Wes Anderson films.