Last week, I finally caught Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel that is due out on DVD at the end of the month. If you missed it in theaters, get this sucker on your Netflix queue stat. It's charming, stylish, and entertaining.
For those unfamiliar with the book, the plot in a nutshell is: Mr. Fox moves his family into a tree house on a hill near three farms -- Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Mr. Fox begins to sneak into said farms and steal food, which does not please Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep). Eventually, the farmers team up to defeat Mr. Fox, destroying the hill and displacing the Foxes and many other animals, who are also not pleased with Mr. Fox. Luckily, Mr. Fox is a charming fellow and he rallies the homeless animals to fight back against the farmers.
Wes Anderson's distinct vibe shines through the stop motion animation, which provides a wonderfully unique visual feel to the film. George Clooney is the perfect choice to voice the charming and mischievous Mr. Fox. The feuding between cousins Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson) is hilarious. And Willem Defoe is delightfully menacing in a minor role as a rat security guard at one of the farms.
In short, the movie is full of action, family drama, and laugh out loud moments. It's basically a children's movie for adults.
Verdict: Stylish and entertaining. Four stars.
Comments