Fantastic Mr. Fox: Review
Now that was a movie! Wes Anderson is truly creeping into my top 5 ever so slightly. There is a consistency and relevancy to all of his films that allow us to not only laugh, but feel something for characters that are so offbeat from reality we have no business loving them. Such is the case in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Why should I care for the tale of a family of foxes struggling to survive in a world where the father is a constant screw-up endangering everyone. Not to mention, it's done entirely in stop-motion animation.
The film is funny from start to finish. There is never a scene that doesn't make you laugh or feel something. The production design is completely flawless, leaving you jaw-dropped at times wondering how it looks so good. But what's even better is how Wes Anderson takes a step back and allows it to look fake. He doesn't try to make Pinocchio a real boy. Instead, the humor lay within the scenery and the way the characters interact. Well, part of the humor that is.
Every character stems from a real animal and they all carry fundamentally hilarious characteristics. And the plot surrounds itself by this fact that all animals are different and specialize in various skills. It's really a perfect composition of what we already know being mixed with an imaginary world.
I typically think it's impossible to capture raw emotion in any form of animation, but this year has proven me wrong. With Coraline, Up, and now Fantastic Mr. Fox, I grow ever more fond of the animated style. And while I still think Anderson's craft is even better in live-action, the voiceovers add a dimension that allows us to imagine more about the characters themselves. As usual, I dislike George Clooney's voice, but again he picks an awesome character to portray. the movie really thrives on everybody else, though. All the supporting roles drive Fantastic Mr. Fox above a memorable film into an unforgettable one.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox is hands-down my favorite animated film ever, finally surpassing the long reign of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I am proud to say it, too. And I hope Wes Anderson never changes his style.
Grade: A
The film is funny from start to finish. There is never a scene that doesn't make you laugh or feel something. The production design is completely flawless, leaving you jaw-dropped at times wondering how it looks so good. But what's even better is how Wes Anderson takes a step back and allows it to look fake. He doesn't try to make Pinocchio a real boy. Instead, the humor lay within the scenery and the way the characters interact. Well, part of the humor that is.
Every character stems from a real animal and they all carry fundamentally hilarious characteristics. And the plot surrounds itself by this fact that all animals are different and specialize in various skills. It's really a perfect composition of what we already know being mixed with an imaginary world.
I typically think it's impossible to capture raw emotion in any form of animation, but this year has proven me wrong. With Coraline, Up, and now Fantastic Mr. Fox, I grow ever more fond of the animated style. And while I still think Anderson's craft is even better in live-action, the voiceovers add a dimension that allows us to imagine more about the characters themselves. As usual, I dislike George Clooney's voice, but again he picks an awesome character to portray. the movie really thrives on everybody else, though. All the supporting roles drive Fantastic Mr. Fox above a memorable film into an unforgettable one.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox is hands-down my favorite animated film ever, finally surpassing the long reign of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I am proud to say it, too. And I hope Wes Anderson never changes his style.
Grade: A
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