fantastic mr. Fox (2009)

Directed by: Wes Anderson | 87 minutes | animation, comedy, adventure | Original voice cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Chase Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson, Karen Duffy, Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guinness, Helen McCrory, Roman Coppola, Juman Malouf, Jeremy Dawson, Garth Jennings, Brian Cox, Tristan Oliver, James Hamilton, Steven M. Rales, Rob Hersov, Jennifer Furches, Allison Abbate, Molly Cooper, Adrien Brody, Mario Batali, Martin Ballard

Wes Anderson makes a statement once again. With ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (2009) is his very own take on the famous book of the same name by the legendary writer Roald Dahl. The fable about the cheeky fox who gets into a fight with a trio of furious farmers has been a personal favorite of Anderson for years. He has been working on this film for many years. The reason for this is that the filmmaker always wants to do things a little differently than others and therefore chose to work with the time-consuming and extremely secure system of stop-motion animation. Twelve shots are taken for every second in the film, which are put together so quickly that it seems as if the puppets are moving. Anderson previously applied the technique in his film ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ (2004), in which he asked stop-motion expert Henry Selick (the man behind films such as 1993’s ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’ and ‘Coraline’ from 2009). to shape the fanciful underwater sequences. With the uplifting and exciting ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ Anderson manages to surprise again.

This remarkable film has little in common with animation films that profile themselves more in the traditional sense of the word, including the modern computer-generated animation film. The animals in Anderson’s world – immersed in the colorful palette we know from Anderson’s earlier films – live in a mainly two-dimensional environment, and the landscapes in which they move sometimes seem straight out of a picture book. However, by giving them expressive faces and lifelike fur textures, Anderson manages to breathe life into the foxes, badgers, rats and other animals that experience the adventure. In addition, they have their own personalities. Take Mr. Fox (George Clooney), a slippery and far from good fox who said goodbye to his successful career as a chicken thief (the nod to Danny Ocean is obvious) at the behest of his wife (Meryl Streep). Now that he is having a child, he should grow up, she thinks. And so he starts working as a columnist and makes fun of the other animals. Twelve fox years pass, young Ash (Jason Schwartzmann) grows up. But then it starts to tickle Mr. Fox. Because he lives beyond his means and his columns are hardly read, he wants to pick up his old job again. Even if it’s just for once. Together with his friend, the hazy oppossum Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky), he plants a big robber on the three most evil farmers in the neighborhood, Boggis, Bunde and Bean (Michael Gambon).

Of course, they don’t just let their companies be robbed by that stubborn fox and forge their own plan. However, all kinds of other things are going on in the background. Young Ash is a stubborn teenager who fears he will not be able to live up to his father’s demands. Things only get worse when cousin Kristoffersen (Eric Anderson, the director’s brother) comes to stay. Kristoffersen is the ideal son-in-law; he’s a good learner, very athletic and – perhaps worst of all – he’s also an excellent chicken thief! keeps mr. Fox more from his cousin than from his son? What kind of father has he been in recent (fox) years? Also the marriage between Mr. and the always very correct Mrs. Fox has its ups and downs. Wes Anderson loves the problems of a dysfunctional family. This extra layer that he has added to Dahl’s story gives the whole a deeper, mature charge. Plus, this crazy adventure is fast-paced and full of witty jokes (which many kids might not understand). These foxes don’t step on the brakes to give the public a chance to get a good look at them. We should be happy to catch a glimpse of their world.

The voice cast contributes a great deal to the fact that this unconventional animated film works. George Clooney is perfectly cast as the stylish yet mischievous Mr. Fox, who captivates everyone with his charm and doesn’t feel like becoming a trap. Like Meryl Streep, he brings depth to his character. Jason Schwartzmann – who has worked with Anderson more than once – is strong as the rebellious teenage son who wants nothing more than recognition from his father. A selection of well-known actors can be heard in smaller roles. Anderson regulars as Bill Murray (as a badger who makes a living as a lawyer) and Owen Wilson (as young Ash’s demotivating sports coach), as well as Willem Dafoe (as the sneaky Rat), Adrien Brody (as the little vole) and Michael Gambon (the seething farmer Bean) do an excellent job. The soundtrack is full of recognizable music (including The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and Jarvis Cocker from Pulp) and fits perfectly with the score by Alexandre Desplat.

For its immeasurable originality alone, ‘Fantastic Mr. kudos to Fox. You just have to dare to come up with this sometimes somewhat wooden-looking stop-motion film in this age of almost flawless computer animation. Anderson did and his guts are paying off in full. His peculiar melancholy turns out to be easily compatible with Roald Dahl’s classic fable. The fun and crazy adventures of the Fox family and their friends race past like an express train, all the while treating viewers to delicious, quintessential Anderson humour. Visually it is all very daring. But who doesn’t dare, who doesn’t win, Anderson must have thought. And he wins with ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ absolutely!