Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

This stop motion animation movie is a fun one with an interesting story and clever characters. Director Wes Anderson wrote the screenplay from the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. The story follows Mr. and Mrs. Fox, who live in a burrow. Mr. Fox makes his living stealing chickens and after being caught, is told by Mrs. Fox he needs to change professions. Mr. Fox goes into the newspaper business and prospers, but the family is not well off. When Mr. Fox convinces his Mrs. they must move into a tree nearby the three richest men in town, the move tempts Mr. Fox to resume his prior profession.

This animated film was created more for adults than children in mind. The characters are distinctly written and the relationships between the animals is always interesting. The story is set in America instead of Dahl’s England which gives it a different take on the original novel. The voice talent of the very talented George Clooney and Meryl Streep make this film especially charming and enjoyable. The use of stop motion animation is an interesting choice, although this is not quite as effective as say Wallace & Gromit for facial expressions, nonetheless the film is fun to watch. Fantastic Mr. Fox has the feel of an old fashioned storybook tale. With such a talented cast and the talented work of the animators, this is a film you will want to see.

2009. Written and directed by Wes Anderson. Starring the voice talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bil Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson.

Rating: