If anyone knows how to create a unique and stylized world, it’s Wes Anderson. So when undertaking such a daunting task as adapting a Roald Dahl book to the screen, who better than Anderson and his usual motley crew.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” brings us into a world where furry critters live their lives in a similar fashion to humans. They hold jobs, have families, buy property and even a play sport — a hybrid of baseball, cricket and track and field called whack bat.
Life is slow, but peaceful, for Mr. Fox (George Clooney), his wife (Meryl Streep), their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and the rest of the neighboring animals, something Mr. Fox just can’t stand any longer. In order to break the repetitive cycle of his dull life, he decides to pull one last job in his old line of work — thieving.
With the help of his possum buddy Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky) and his nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson), Mr. Fox successfully makes his way back night after night with goods from the surrounding farms of Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce and the slightly psychotic Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon). After discovering their farms to be light on chickens, ducks, turkeys and alcoholic apple cider, the three devise a plan to kill Mr. Fox as a way to restore order to their businesses.
Lead by the hot-tempered, sharp-shooting Bean, the farmers attempt to dig up and next blow up the tree in which the foxes live, but Mr. Fox and family counter their attack with some digging of their own. They continue to dig until they have no choice but to find shelter with the neighboring animals in Clive Badger’s (Bill Murray) home.
All is thought to be well, and the other animals begin to forgive Mr. Fox for endangering everyone until the ground begins to shake and Bean’s cider bursts in from every direction. The critters find themselves trapped in the sewer system after Bean successfully floods their homes, making morale quite low. In hopes of saving the rest of the animals, Mr. Fox makes the decision to turn himself in, but before he can go through with the plan, it is brought to his attention that his nephew Kristofferson has been taken captive by the farmers. Now is the time for Mr. Fox to do something fantastic.
Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a wonderful blend of Dahl’s classic storytelling, Noah Baumbach’s influential writing and Anderson’s mesmerizing style. The direction and production are vintage Anderson, from the symmetric, perfectly placed framing, to the text overlay and font face, to the dialogue and color scheme.
The voice acting is top-notch, but what else do you expect from a cast that is chock full of Academy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actors?
George Clooney is perfect and charming as always — not to mention he’s a natural at the whistle and click trademark of Mr. Fox. His voice just brings you into the film, making it clear why everyone thinks he’s so fantastic.
Meryl Streep is nothing special, but her voice is calming and motherly, making her ideal for the role — one that Cate Blanchett was originally supposed to fill.
The rest of the supporting cast is just as brilliant. Jason Schwartzman, as their son Ash, is hilarious as always in his dry sort of way, and Bill Murray is, well, Bill Murray. He never seems to fail.
Wes Anderson’s brother Eric, who does all the illustrations for his films, is surprisingly impressive as cousin Kristofferson. He has a very laid back and diluted voice that fits right into place.
The film’s unheralded star, in my opinion, is none other than Willem Dafoe as the once thieving, now turncoat employee, Rat. Not only is he Mr. Fox’s slow-spoken, southern archenemy, but he walks and snaps his fingers like he’s straight out of “West Side Story” — the perfect recipe for comic gold.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is charming, beautiful and oddly hilarious. Part of its charm lies in its wide appeal, ranging from children to 30-somethings. With the combination of a delightful story, a wonderful animation and art style, a stellar cast and Anderson’s vision, you can’t but help fall in love with one cussin’ fine film.