Wes Anderson’s cool quirks and characteristics follow him into the
land of stop-motion animation with Fantastic Mr. Fox, an
eye-popping, hilarious adaptation of the Roald Dahl children’s
book.

This is essentially a Wes Anderson movie (Rushmore, Bottle
Rocket) with eccentric humans replaced by eccentric figurines. It
even has the trademark awesome Wes Anderson soundtrack, featuring
artists like the Rolling Stones and Jarvis Cocker.

The title character, a plucky fox, is voiced by the eternally funny
George Clooney, who embodies Mr. Fox with a devilish charm and sense of
humor. Mrs. Fox has the soothing vocal strains of Meryl Streep; throw
into the mix Anderson mainstays Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen
Wilson, as well as Michael Gambon as an evil farmer, and you have one
of the year’s better ensembles.

The characters that the puppeteers have created are vital, emotional
organisms that shed very realistic tears when troubled. Their fur often
ruffles the way King Kong’s did more than 70 years ago.

The plot is, not surprisingly, quite simple: Mr. Fox, after
promising his wife that he wouldn’t steal birds anymore, has settled
into a humdrum life as a newspaper columnist. In order to spice things
up, he begins a three-part caper to steal from evil farmers Boggis,
Bunce and Bean. Fox’s son Ash (Schwartzman, in perhaps the film’s
funniest performance), a diminutive fox with self-esteem issues, wants
in on the action, yearning for his sly pop’s appreciation.

The three farmers (spectacularly crafted human puppets) conspire to
capture and kill Mr. Fox and his animal henchmen. The critters burrow
deep into the Earth and capture the attention of local media. They even
inspire a campfire song by Bunce’s friend Petey (Cocker) called
“Petey’s Song,” the foundation for a hilarious sequence during which
Mr. Fox and his team break into the farms and do victory dances. The
physical actions of all the puppets in the sequence (dancing,
finger-snapping) are priceless.

Anderson co-wrote the screenplay, and the dialogue is delivered with
the same cadence that makes his live-action films so endearing. The
cool pauses, the dry wit and clever humor are all in full effect. The
way this movie comes together is a testament to Anderson’s distinctive
abilities. It doesn’t hurt that the film contains sequences set to such
rock classics as the Beach Boys “Heroes and Villains” and the Stones’
“Street Fighting Man.” Anderson has always been right on with his music
choices.

There is no doubt that this is Anderson’s movie. If an Anderson fan
made it to a screening without knowing Anderson directed it, they’d
probably start thinking, “This feels like a Wes Anderson movie!” after
10 minutes. Granted, a good Anderson fan would know what their beloved
director was up to and would not be blind to a project such as this,
but that’s beside the point.

The overall visual effect of the movie is quite beautiful. From
large trees to stylized sewers, not a single movie frame is wasted. The
synchronization of voice to character is flawless, giving the movie an
organic vibe. According to the Internet Movie Database, Anderson
recorded the vocals on location rather than inside a recording studio,
contributing to the spontaneous feel of the film.

With this movie and Up, 2009 has proven to be a landmark year
for animated films. While Up is a testament to advancing
computer-animation technology, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a fabulous
throwback to the more primitive cinematic arts. It’s also one of
Anderson’s best, continuing the director’s impressive motion-picture
streak. The guy has done no wrong, and he’s conquered the animated
genre with glee.

This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2009.