Genres
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Director
Wes Anderson
Country
USA
Voice Cast
George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson, Karen Duffy, Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guinness, Helen McCrory, Adrien Brody
Storyline
Many years after giving up the criminal life, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) cannot resist raiding the three nastiest and meanest farmers, but it ends up in a horrible way and the lives of the entire animal community are put at stake.
Opinion
Although I've only seen a couple of Wes Anderson's films, I've always been intrigued and fascinated by his quirky directorial style. So when I found out he was the man behind Fantastic Mr. Fox, a movie that has been on my watchlist for a very long time, I had to watch it. And it was exactly as I was expecting it to be, a brilliant and fun stop-motion animation film.
I never read Roald Dahl's book upon which the film is based, but to my understanding, the two couldn't be more different. What I do know is that the story Anderson brought to the screen is incredibly gripping, engaging and well developed. Also, despite the short running time, Anderson was able to incorporate several interesting subplots.
The most astonishing aspect of Fantastic Mr. Fox is the characters. The characterisation is impressive. Each character has its own rich personality and an actor/actress giving a great vocal performance, but what makes each one of them truly memorable is that something, that special feature they have thank to the wonderful animation. Let's think of Mr. Fox's grinding his teeth, the rat clicking his fingers, or the opossum's hypnotized eyes. These are the kind of things, in addition to their quirky personalities, that are truly mesmerising.
Which brings me to the fantastic stop-motion animation. It's beautifully crafted and fits Anderson's style and sense of humour to perfection.
Very fascinating is the way Anderson was able to incorporate his typical dysfunctional family in a movie that targets kids. And he delivers also some good messages, like the importance of family, people together are better and stronger.
The most astonishing aspect of Fantastic Mr. Fox is the characters. The characterisation is impressive. Each character has its own rich personality and an actor/actress giving a great vocal performance, but what makes each one of them truly memorable is that something, that special feature they have thank to the wonderful animation. Let's think of Mr. Fox's grinding his teeth, the rat clicking his fingers, or the opossum's hypnotized eyes. These are the kind of things, in addition to their quirky personalities, that are truly mesmerising.Which brings me to the fantastic stop-motion animation. It's beautifully crafted and fits Anderson's style and sense of humour to perfection.
Very fascinating is the way Anderson was able to incorporate his typical dysfunctional family in a movie that targets kids. And he delivers also some good messages, like the importance of family, people together are better and stronger.
This is yet another impressive outing by Anderson. I fully agree the characters are the best part. They really make this movie something special, and oddly, human. The only drawback is that whether or not it targets kids is a bit iffy. I watched it with mine back when it came out and they were bored with it while I had a blast. That's probably because this is much more subtle than most kiddie flicks, but that's what happened.
ReplyDeleteOther people complained about that too. But I guess one cannot expect an Anderson movie to be truly for kids.
DeleteRecuperato qualche mesetto fa in clima natalizio. Gran bella sorpresa (perché Wes sa sempre come stupire), concordo pienamente!
ReplyDeleteFede.
Ne ho parlato qui: http://storiesbooksandmovies.blogspot.it/2016/12/fantastic-mr-fox-di-wes-anderson.html
Vado subito a leggere.
DeleteGreat review! I don't know why I haven't seen this movie yet, I have a real love for stop motion movies and this one looks so funny and quirky. I'm adding it to my watchlist :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm sure you'll love it.
DeleteI didn't know this was done by Wes Anderson which makes me want to see the film more now
ReplyDeleteI found out like two weeks ago.
DeleteLo considero un gioiellino poco conosciuto, lo adoro!
ReplyDeleteÈ un vero peccato che lo conoscano così poche persone :(
DeleteNow this is one I have watched as part of my childhood and I loved it then. I have recently rewatched it and I still love it! The novel is hilarious and the movie does it so much justice. And what talent must have gone into making it. They kept all the humor. Glad you loved it too.
ReplyDeleteNow I feel like reading the novel.
Delete