I don't think I read the book Fantastic Mr. Fox as a child and if I did I definitely don't remember it. This means I have no idea how accurately Wes Anderson's (Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic) film adaptation is. I do know that after watching the movie I can't think of any filmmaker that could possibly make it any better than Anderson did.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is a master chicken thief who's family issues force him to retire from a life of crime. He ends up writing a newspaper column that he's not sure anyone even reads while longing for the days of excitement and wanting a better place in his world for his family. After buying a fancy new tree house (getting his family out of the tiny fox hole they were living in) he decides to do one last big heist to secure plenty of food for his wife (Meryl Streep) and son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). Mr. Fox is going to rob the three wealthy farmers who live in close proximity to his new home but the farmers don't take kindly to being robbed. Ash has his own problems growing up and feeling awkward and when his cousin Kristofferson comes to stay with them for an indefinite period he is forced to be around a person who seems to excel at everything he does not, even though he badly wants to.
The story line in itself is very good as it speaks to adults and children alike. Mr. Fox struggles with his desire to be wild and free but still be there for his family at all costs. Ash struggles with his desire to be like his cousin who has talents Mr. Fox seems to appreciate more than Ash's. There are a lot of funny and interesting side characters scattered throughout as well.
The voice talent on hand here is exceptional. Joining Clooney, Streep and Schwartzman are Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe. All give fine performances with Clooney and Murray's scenes together being one of the highlights of the movie for me.
Anderson uses stop motion animation to bring the characters to life and while I'm sure some people will find it off-putting, I really enjoyed it. If you've ever seen a Wes Anderson movie before you will know what to expect from the feel of the movie. Even using animation there are Anderson staples everywhere, eclectic pop songs, quirky characters, offbeat humor and heavy use of title cards are prevalent throughout the film. His use of heavily detailed sets in his films works incredibly well in animation as well and I can guarantee there are tons of things in the backgrounds that I missed the first time around. Anderson's movies have also always had a dark side to them but for the most part that is not present here. I don't think it would have fit tonally with the movie although I have a feeling there's some undercurrent in there I didn't notice. For the most part it's a fairly simple story told exceptionally well and with a great sense of fun and energy. The only downside is that in fleshing out the book to feature film length there are a few times when the pace slows just enough to notice. This only happens a very small amount during the movie and it is easily overlooked but it does keep the film from being a classic in my mind.
The Blu-ray's technical aspects are excellent as well. As with most animated features there is an amazing level of detail throughout the movie with individual hairs being easily distinguishable and a fantastic use of colors that look great in high def. The audio is not as exceptional as the video but is quite strong nonetheless. It's more front heavy than I was expecting and there's not a lot of bass present. On the plus side dialogue comprehension is outstanding and when the soundscape does open up in the few action scenes as well as when music is playing it sounds fantastic.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an excellent movie for people of all ages and the Blu-ray is great as well. The animation is beautiful, the characters are fun and the voice work is outstanding. Unless you have a real problem with this style of animation or just don't like things that are family oriented there is no reason not to see it.
Ratings:
Movie 4.5/5
Blu-ray 4.5/5
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