Thank the Lord! Finally, an animated film that I can jump behind. Fantastic Mr. Fox is bitingly witty, hilarious, charming, and doesn’t depend on ultra-cute animation that spends two hours trying to make you go, ‘ahhh…’ Yes, I’m looking at you Pixar!
Fantastic Mr. Fox takes a whole lot of genius, mixes it up, and turns it in to cinematic gold. Take one great story by Roald Dahl, combine it with the unique vision of Wes Anderson, mix in a little of the frighteningly pessimistic and hilarious Noah Baumbach, along with the voices of some of the best actors around, and you’ve got a film that promises to knock the socks off all those aged five to ninety nine.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is a suave, thrill-seeking fox, married to one Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep). When Mrs. Fox becomes pregnant, Mr. Fox is pressured into promising to quit his dangerous job of stealing chickens, and becomes a columnist for a newspaper. He keeps his promise for years. His son grows up to be Ash, an eccentric little fellow voiced by Jason Schwartzman. Mrs. Fox’s nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson), who’s father is sick with double pneumonia, comes to live with the family, who move into a beautiful tree home near dangerous bird farmers that hate foxes. Ash and Kristofferson keep a lively competition of greatness throughout the film that is endlessly entertaining. The temptation, being so close in proximity, is too great for Mr. Fox, and he stages one last, great heist, that throws the entire local animals population into chaos.
The animation is a mix of computer graphics and stop-motion techniques. The ads promise Fantastic Mr. Fox to be something you’ve never seen before, and I attest, this is the case. It’s a beautiful film, filled with colors and effects that lure you into the wonderful mind of Mr. Dahl. Anderson and Baumbach adapted the story into what is simply one of the best scripts of the years. Besides the main cast, the peripheral characters are tremendous, voiced by Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe and Bill Murray just to name a few. Jason Schwartzman’s character Ash really steals the show, with perfect comedic timing, and some of the most quotable stuff we’ve heard all year.
The cliches really do apply to this film This is hilarious, touching, crowd-pleasing, and certainly one of the best films of the year. A must-see for everyone!
4 out of 4 stars
