Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

By general classification, Fantastic Mr. Fox is just one of the many animations that have hit theaters this year.  The difference this time around, the animation from a visual perspective, is not typical to others we've been subjected to lately.  Plus, the script is really for adults which becomes more evident as one hears the dialogue.  Visually, the movie reminds one of an upgrade to clay-mation, although it's classified as stop-motion animation.  Using this platform gives the audience something a little different to enjoy.

But we all know that this effect can wear off, so the story and characters better pick up the slack.  Trying to be slick as the referenced animal in the title, the movie succeeds in giving an intriguing story.  By using animals with human persona's, the movie can keep the audience entrenched in the story for most of the 87 minutes.  The question is whether in all its cleverness, can this flick thoroughly entertain an audience.  An obstacle that becomes apparent as the movie digs deeper.

Right away, we meet Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) and Mrs. Fox (voiced by Meryl Streep).  Mr. Fox makes his "living" stealing chickens from suspecting farmers.  He's really good at it and decides to take Mrs. Fox on one of his capers.  During that caper, Mrs. Fox drops the bombshell that she is pregnant and Mr. Fox decides that he'll go on the straight and narrow and put his mischievous ways behind him.  Fast forward 12 fox years later, and we meet the offspring Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman).  We also see Mr. Fox, now a columnist for a newspaper, living somewhat of a poor life (Oh the irony).  The Fox family is happy though, but Mr. Fox wants to live the lifestyle he once had years ago.  Upon viewing a new property, Mr. Fox gets the urge to pull one last job.  He sets his plan in motion and is successful.  However, the beyond rich farmers he targets, decide to ban together to put an end to Mr. Fox once and for all.

The first half of the flick will instantly remind one of an Ocean's Eleven type scenario.  This most likely happens due to the persona Clooney brings to his character, for "Mr. Fox" is a virtual nobody with a knack to out-wit anyone at anytime.  Then you have the big-wig farmers that harken back to all the casino bosses the Ocean's crew outwitted in the trilogy of movies.  One might think they're watching a prequel to Ocean's that focuses on the beginnings of "Danny Ocean."  Based on that, you understand the type of story that will be laid out.  Our big difference, is that rodents make-up the "Ocean's crew." 

Our rodents range from the lawyer "Badger" (voiced by Bill Murray) to the head of the farmer's security, "Rat" (voiced by Willem Dafoe).  Aside from Clooney and Schwartzman's voice, until the credits roll, one may not recognize their voices.  At the halfway point, the movie shows the actions of all the animals and cuts to scenes with the three farmers, who are using all their resources to kill "Mr. Fox."  What's missing here is the comedic aspect of exploring the animal's persona since they are depicting human-like behavior.  This gets touched upon at times in the dialogue, but it will only induce a chuckle here and there.  What we have is an animation with talking animals that stays too human.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the natural expectancy of having some type of comedic vibe, may cause the audience to tune out.  When one has more playfulness in the dialogue, which we can see in "human" flicks such as an Ocean's or The Thomas Crown Affair, the visual side needs to contribute.  The cinematography is well-done from an artistic point-of-view, but the action on the screen fails to do anything innovative besides the above mentioned animation.  Script wise, the flick moves fairly well and is self-aware.  For instance, one never gets a reason why "Mr. Fox" steals, for he keeps everything for himself.  It's simply a fox's instincts to do this and subtle instances like that are sprinkled throughout the movie.

Overall, this is an action/adventure type flick that provides a comedic element, via its dialogue, that only adults will catch onto.  The visual nature of the movie and actions of its characters may have children sitting their in a trance, wondering what the "cuss" is going on.  A nice and under-used animated look goes well with the script, and Clooney does make his character intriguing and memorable.  Fantastic Mr. Fox is a recycled story delivered in a clever style, that helps pass the time.

Fantastic Mr. Fox opens everywhere on Wednesday 11/25.