The Fantastic Mr. Fox

By Jeff Niesel

Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Royal Tenenbaums) has never made an animated movie. But don’t let that stop you from seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox, his first foray into the genre. The stop-motion animated film features the voice of George Clooney as Mr. Fox, a small-time thief who promises his pregnant wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) that he’ll give up stealing and take up a much safer profession. Flash forward a few fox years and Mr. and Mrs. Fox have moved into a stately tree with their adolescent kid Ash (Jason Schwartzman). His badgering lawyer (Bill Murray) warns Mr. Fox against moving into a neighborhood where fox-hating farmers Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness) and Bean (Michael Gambon) reside. But Mr. Fox ignores his advice and movies in anyway. Everything initially seems copasetic, at least until Mr. Fox reverts to his wily ways and starts pilfering from the farmers. Based on a Roald Dahl children’s story, the movie is entertaining for kids, who will gravitate to the slapsticky humor and terrific animation, and adults, who will appreciate the sophisticated humor and professional actors who lent their voices to the characters.