Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mr. Fox longs for his younger days as an accomplished bird thief. He could steal anything with feathers from chicken, ducks, geese, squabs, and turkeys. He was once quite the athlete and could outsmart any anti-fox maneuvers thought up by farmers to protect their stock. Now he is older and lives in a foxhole with his wife Felicity and son Ash where he writes a column for the local newspaper. Without telling his wife, Mr. Fox decides to pull off one last heist and steal from the meanest farmers ever known to mankind: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The first step in his plan is to move into a tree which is located close to all three farms. The Fox family appreciates the upgrade because Ash’s cousin Kristofferson has come to visit while his father is sick. Ash has not quite found is niche in the world and is considered an odd fox, his troubles only get worse when his cousin, the perfect student, athlete, and son, moves in and impresses everyone with his prowess in yoga and karate. Mr. Fox then recruits his new neighbor Kylie the opossum and his close to perfect nephew Kristofferson to help him carry out his plan. The three bandits successfully execute Mr. Fox’s plan to steal from each farmer, but Mr. Fox may have met his match in the farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Not willing to be outsmarted by any wild animal, the three farmers form an alliance to capture the fox that is responsible for the thefts. Mr. Fox puts the entire community in jeopardy when the three farmers begin to go to extreme measures to exact revenge. One side has to surrender and neither one is going down without a fight.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a charming take on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. It is filmed with very imaginative views of each scene and is an eye-popping treat for the brain. In the tradition of other movies like the Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox is made completely from stop motion animation techniques which add a vintage feel to the film that director Wes Anderson is famous for. His spin on this story is magical and delightful and has that special feeling that every Wes Anderson movie has. George Clooney takes on the voice of Mr. Fox and is joined by Meryl Streep, as the voice of his wife Felicity. Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman also lend their voices to this unique take on a children’s classic. Each character has their own quirks that make them unique and truly give these wild animals human characteristics from only painting pictures of thunderstorms to wearing a cape to every occasion.

This movie is a breath of fresh air in a mostly computer animated world and although the technique may not be new, the story has been given some modern twists to make a perfect marriage between the old and the modern. Even if you are not a fan of this type of animation you cannot deny the amount of work that went into making this movie. There are loads of little touches and details that bring this woodland fantasy world to life. This is definitely one of those movies where you will find something new every time you watch it. Both the kids and parents will enjoy this animated adventure. I recommend this film as a must have for Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl fans and a must see for the movie loving family. The story never stops as Mr. Fox and the farmers dig deeper and deeper until either one surrenders or gives up the fight.