Fantastic Mr. Fox

19.03.2010

Film Trailer

This stop-motion animated film is an original and entertaining interpretation of the famous children's book by Roald Dahl. It isn’t a typical family film, and will perhaps have the greatest appeal among adults, but the film is good and is recommended for children from 8 years.

Plot
Mr. Fox is a master thief. Together with his wife Felicity he sustains himself by stealing chickens, ducks, turkeys and squabs. But one day he is caught. Trapped in a giant cage he promises Felicity that if they get out of this with their lives intact, he will find honest work, and never steal again.

Two years later: Mr. Fox is a newspaper writer, and is living a happy life with Felicity and their son Ash, but he is not completely satisfied. The family lives in a cave under the ground, and in an attempt to make life fantastic, Mr. Fox buys a new home in a tree. Here the family enjoys a wonderful view, and can scan the whole valley where three rather unpleasant farmers reside – Boggis, Bounce and Bean.

Tempted by the many goodies on the farms, Mr. Fox decides to perform a final master coup. Along with the possum Kylie, he robs the farms one by one. This turns out to have fatal consequences as Boggis, Bounce and Bean arrange an emergency meeting, and armed with tractors, dynamite and a myriad of sharpshooters they destroy half the forest in search of Mr. Fox. This puts all the other animals in the forest in grave danger.

At the same time, problems arise between Ash and nephew Kristofferson. Kristofferson has to move to the Fox family when his father gets pneumonia, and Ash, who is smaller and a bit different, gets jealous of his athletic cousin who charms the ladies and impresses them with his talents. It doesn’t help that Mr.Fox praises his nephew, and chooses him to help rather than Ash when the last coup is about to be performed.

The problems pile up as the animals in the forest blame Mr. Fox when they must seek refuge in the sewers. Felicity is furious when she discovers that Mr. Fox has broken his promise, and the relationship between Ash and Kristofferson only gets worse. Will Mr. Fox manage to sort out everything before it is too late?

Quality and Theme
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a well made film, where stop-motion technique is used to give the handcrafted dolls life. Director Wes Anderson has become known for his distinctive, low-key style and whimsical, dry humour (e.g. "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Darjeeling Limited"). People who like his style find his films very enjoyable, while others do not like them at all. That is also the case with this film, some people will have a great time watching it, others, not so much.

Regardless of what you think of the style, the message in the film is very good and has educational benefits. We get to know a character that, in the first part of the film is a rascal. Someone who steals, ignores good advice, neglects his son and breaks an important promise. The result is that his family is about to fall apart, and his behaviour puts others' lives in grave danger. In the end Felicity says straight out that everyone will die unless he changes. She gets Mr. Fox to realise that the reason he acts in such an arrogant way is that he wants everyone to think he is clever, cunning, charming – simply fantastic. But Mr. Fox isn’t fantastic, he's just an ordinary wild animal that needs help and support from his family and their neighbours. It is not until Mr. Fox realises this that he is able to deal with his problems and do all that he can to rectify the chaos he has created.

Suitability
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" contains some dramatic scenes with explosions and a rabies-infested dog. The film is not recommended for children under the age of 8, but older children can safely watch it.

Conclusion
The special style and humour will probably appear as a little strange to children, but there is no reason why children shouldn’t be able to enjoy this film. Still, it is probably adults who appreciate Wes Anderson that will enjoy the film the most. For them, this is an excellent opportunity to see a fresh and original film together with their children.

Facts

Director: Wes Anderson Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Animation Language: English Nationality: USA Production Company: Twentieth Century Fox Length: 1h 27mins Production Year: 2009 Age Limit: PG Suitability: Family BBFC’s Consumer Advice: Contains mild violence and scary scenes.

Our Assessment: Recommended