The Fantastic Mr. Fox

"You know, you really are... fantastic."

"I try."

Mr. Fox (Clooney) is a well-known thief.  He loves planning and carrying out heists, until he and his wife, Mrs. Fox (Streep) are caught and he agrees to change his ways.  12 fox years later, Mr. Fox writes a newspaper column.  He, Mrs. Fox, and their misunderstood son  Ash (Schwartzman) live in a hole.  He dreams of his old life and moves the family, including his visiting nephew Kristofferson (Anderson), to a tree.

Their new home is the perfect place to spy on the neighboring farms.  The farms are successful and the animals fear the farmers.  Fox convinces their landlord, Kylie (Wolodarsky), to help him with a grand heist of the farms.  Mr. Walter Boggis (Hurlstone) is a chicken farmer.  Mr. Nathan Bunce (Guinness) is a duck and goose farmer, and Mr. Franklin Bean (Gambon) is a turkey and apple farmer.  Fox loves the heists, but his actions cause the farmers to go after all of the animals.  Can they outsmart the farmers?


The film is based on Roald Dahl's 1970 children's book "Fantastic Mr. Fox."  The book remains popular and has been adapted to stage as a play, a musical, and an opera.

The Good:
This was director Wes Anderson's first stop-motion film (followed by 2018's Isle of Dogs).  The medium was a smart choice for this story (the way Anderson wanted to tell it).  It has all of the Anderson trademarks: intricate details, the usual cast, etc.  The animation is well done and earned all of it's accolades.  The story, by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, adds some background and fleshes out the other characters.

The Bad:
The film is marketed as a "family film," but I'm not sure I agree.  Yes, the original book was a children's book... but the film is much darker.  They don't actually swear (just use the word "cuss" for any number of curse words), but it is violent and mildly off-setting.  I don't think I would show the film to children, at least not young children.  It is dark (the book is also dark for a children's book).  A character is killed on screen and bleeds to death.

Other Comments:
-The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards in 2010: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, but did not win either.
-It wasn't my favorite... but it was still a well-made film.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) 88 minutes
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: George Clooney as Mr. Fox
Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox
Jason Schwartzman as Ash Fox
Bill Murray as Clive Badger
Willem Dafoe as Rat
Michael Gambon as Franklin Bean
Owen Wilson as Coach Skip
Wallace Wolodarsky as Kylie
Eric Anderson as Kristofferson Silverfox
Jarvis Cocker as Petey
Wes Anderson as Stan Weasel
Robin Hurlstone as Walter Boggis
Hugo Guinness as Nathan Bunce