The Fantastic Mr. Fox
USA | 2009 | Dir. Wes Anderson
George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray

It was commented in one review that Wes Anderson has been making stop-motion films his whole life with live actors and Fox is the first film in which he has finally matched his visual style and wont for control with the correct medium.  Unlike other of Anderson’s films, however, it is hard to not look at Mr. Fox from two competing angles: the technical brilliance of the animation and the strange Anderson spin on the storyline.  As an exercise in animation craft, Fox is breathtaking.  The figures and detail are simply breathtaking and the color palette is full of rich Fall colors.  The way the fur on the animals moves and bristles would be remarkable in a short film, let alone a feature-length one.  In terms of the story, it is very obvious that Noah Baumbach had a hand in the writing credits and they went in not with the aims of making an “animated” [read: children's] film.   There are so many elements that will be well above a child’s head – the film is made for adults that throws a bone to kids rather than visa versa (Shrek).  As long as one goes in expecting a Wes Anderson film, one will not be disappointed.  But if you are looking for a classic retelling of a Dahl tale…best pop in a copy of The Witches.