Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Roald Dahl (novel)
Wes Anderson (written for the screen by) &
Noah Baumbach (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

25 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Meryl Streep is The Brains Behind The Brains

Plot:

An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.

Plot Keywords:

Fox | Farmer | Tale | Cider | Meditation

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

George Clooney	...	Mr. Fox (voice)
Meryl Streep	...	Mrs. Fox (voice)
Jason Schwartzman	...	Ash (voice)
Bill Murray	...	Badger (voice)
Wallace Wolodarsky	...	Kylie Sven Opossum (voice) (as Wally Wolodarsky)
Eric Chase Anderson	...	Kristofferson Silverfox (voice) (as Eric Anderson)
Michael Gambon	...	Franklin Bean (voice)
Willem Dafoe	...	Rat (voice)
Owen Wilson	...	Coach Skip (voice)
Jarvis Cocker	...	Petey (voice)
Wes Anderson	...	Weasel (voice)
Karen Duffy	...	Linda Otter (voice)
Robin Hurlstone	...	Walter Boggis (voice)
Hugo Guinness	...	Nathan Bunce (voice)
Helen McCrory	...	Mrs. Bean (voice)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for action, smoking and slang humor.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #45468) | Ireland:PG | Australia:PG | UK:PG | South Korea:All | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:PG | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Ontario) | South Africa:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Germany:6 | Netherlands:6 | Malaysia:U

Filming Locations:

Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

One of two films released in 2009 to feature a talking fox. The other was Lars von Trier's controversial Antichrist (2009).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Ash says he doesn't have a bandit hat but a modified tube sock, but the hat/sock he puts on has a clearly visible heel, identifying it as a crew, rather than a tube, sock.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Mr. Fox:Honey, I am seven fox years old. My father died at seven and a half. I don't want to live in a hole anymore, and I'm going to do something about it.
[tears into his toast in an animalistic manner]

Movie Connections:

References The Story of the Fox (1930)

Soundtrack:

Let Her Dance

Thoroughly Enjoyable

To put it simply, Fantastic Mr. Fox is unlikely to leave you disappointed.

For a start, the animation, is simply wonderful. Gorgeously designed backgrounds and scenery full of simply incredible attention to detail, the film is full of such loving care and attention. Each character feels full of personality and it's refreshing to see something other than a glossy 3D rendered animation film for a change most certainly. It feels like a return to a day where a little imagination was expected in films, which is nice.

Comparing Pixar releases and this film is besides the point. This film wasn't made to be compared or compete with others, it was made to tell a classic children's tale by one of the greatest authors at writing them. Dahl's wife Felicity herself has described her delight at how the film portrays the universe great author created and the modification of the story for film length is smoothly and smartly done. It is a beautifully told story, heart-warming and charming, witty and full of comedic moments.

While Pixar films play like films made for children that can be enjoyed by adults. Wes Anderson's film feels like one made for adults, that can be enjoyed by children. Some parents may not feel too comfortable of the less than subtle replacement of curse words with "cuss" or "cussing" it has to be mentioned however.

The voice acting is excellently done, Anderson took the cast outside, underground and indoors for the varying parts of the film to give it a real feel of authenticity which pays off. The soundtrack, as with all Wes Anderson films, is stunningly good and really elevates the film. After watching you may find yourself searching out the soundtrack as soon as you get home.

The film's style and direction screams Wes Anderson at the top of its lungs and so, haters of his previous work may need to be careful, but I would certainly suggest to give the film a try and see if it can convert you, if not at least not make you feel like you've wasted your money.

As a self confessed Wes Anderson fan I was doomed to love this film no matter what, but am genuinely delighted with the end product and believe that more than just the blind Wes Anderson lover will find this film a charming, witty ride of enjoyment.