Fantastic Mr. Fox

3 Stars

A fantastic leap from normality.

Rating: PG
Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman

What’s the story?
Upon learning that his wife (Streep) is pregnant, the egocentric Mr. Fox (Clooney) promises that he will give up his life of poultry theft and become a columnist. Twelve fox-years later, he breaks his vows, aggravating three animal-hating local farmers and ultimately landing the entire valley in mortal peril from tractors, rabid dogs, dynamite and cider as they embark on a long, mildly intense underground chase injected with dry humour. Additionally, Mr. Fox must face his family issues (the “perfect” child versus the “difficult” one, a desperately sick brother- in-law, frustrated spouse, etc.) amidst the turmoil.

Why see it?
It is almost certain that, no matter what your experiences, you have never before seen stop-motion animation quite like this. The plotline itself is strong, if a bit of a stretch from the book, and the characters are relatable and well-developed. Additionally, being Roald Dahl material, this movie is nonsensically brilliant.

Problems?
There is an abundance of deadpan humour, mainly delivered through very glib dialogue − so much so that it is unclear if Fantastic Mr. Fox is actually targeted towards children as it seems to be, or to adults (although children will certainly enjoy it as well). Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of those films that may be better enjoyed the second or third time around.

All in all:
Fantastical, bizarre and fun.