20th Century Fox
First a true story: a fire alarm went off during the Rochester pre-screening ofFantastic Mr. Fox. The movie was already set for a later than normal start, and as everyone had to evacuate and come back in, it started even later (yes, it really happened. Somebody yelled “Fire!” in a crowded movie theatre). So after about half an hour into the movie, some people left. Many of them had little kids with them. The late start gave them their excuse, but many had to be thinking: “This isn’t what I thought it was.”
At first glance, Fantastic Mr. Fox seems like it’s a kids' movie. It’s a stop-motion animation fable based on a book by Roald Dahl, about a fox who retired from chicken-stealing but comes out of retirement to steal from a trio of evil farmers. The cat-and-mouse game that follows is as funny as any Looney Tunes cartoon where animal and human do battle. And it’s very, very funny.
But it’s not funny because of animals getting flattened by anvils or because they use props that they ordered from Acme. It’s because it’s written for the screen and directed by Wes Anderson, who gave us the modern classics Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. Fans of those movies (this critic included) love those films for their dry humor and quirky characters. Fantastic Mr. Fox is in the same tradition as those films; the only difference is the quirky characters are talking animals.
The film includes great voice work by stars George Clooney as Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox. Wes Anderson stalwarts Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson do some great work as well.
Fantastic Mr. Fox isn’t for adults only – kids may be bored, but families won’t be embarrassed by anything they see here. They may even like it – and come to appreciate it as they get older.
If a talking fox and his family aren’t sci-fi enough for your tastes, you have some other options this holiday weekend:
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