Me and Wes Anderson don't really jibe so well. Other than the hilarious and insightful Rushmore, and dry wit of The Royal Tenenbaums, I've found Anderson's work to be way too pretentious and overbearing to be any good. I'm sure there's some larger meaning to a lot of his most recent films, but I'll be damned if I can find it. Set to write him off completely, I went into Fantastic Mr. Fox expecting the worst and left with what is my favorite animated film of the year. And I'm including Where the Wild Things Are in that equation.
Mr. Fox(George Clooney) has grown uncomfortable in his own skin. Out on a mission to steal chickens alongside his wife, Felicity(Meryl Streep), he allows his own arrogance to get them captured. Faced with death, he finds out that she's pregnant with their first child. She convinces him to give up his life of hunting and thievery..if they manage to survive. Fast forward 2 years, and the Foxes are parents to a somewhat wishy washy young son named Ash(Jason Schwartzman). Mr. Fox has become a newspaper columnist, since all animals should have their own paper, but he's still not where he wants to be. He buys a new home in a tree that's too expensive for him to really afford, but it's nearby to three food production facilities run by Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.
Fox sets off on a crime spree, robbing each of the three storehouses blind. Satisfied with himself, he assumes all is well until the three evil merchants decide to team up and put Mr. Fox and his family out to pasture. Meanwhile Ash is jealous of his newly arrived cousin, Krisofferson, the picture of wild animal perfection; Felicity has grown angry of Mr. Fox's return to thievery; there's a rat wielding a blade trying to kill them; and the entire family structure begins to wobble.
The animation itself is a remarkable feat. Stop-motion animation has never been a favorite of mine, because I always thought it looked a little creepy, especially stop motion fur, which there certainly is plenty of here. The many creatues inhabiting this weird hybrid neighborhood are as expressive as any of the people in Wes Anderson's most recent movies. His often dry internal sense of humor is a perfect fit for these larger than life creatures, who's personalities splash across the screen in bold strokes. Mr. Fox is always cunning and sly, befitting his nature and it's reflected in the way he's drawn. There's always an all-knowing smile just around the corner, no matter how dire the situation may be.
Unlike the aforementioned film by Spike Jonze, Fantastic Mr. Fox appeals to all ages. Based on Roald Dahl's 1970 children's book, it covers some very adult ideas and worries, such as Mr. Fox's trepidation at fatherhood, or the often neglectful attitude he carries towards his son. There's also a lot about being true to our own selves, and whether or not that's possible when familial responsibilities take the forefront. And yet, there's a childlike innocence to it all. The characters break into a goofy dance when things are going well; and kids will get a genuine kick out of Ash and Krisofferson's bickering. Often times, the camera pans out and all the characters look like little action figures.
I can't say whether or not this marks a new page in the career of Wes Anderson. This could just be a blip on the radar. If he can manage to find the energy and excitement in his real actors as was expressed out of this little animal world created here, he'll have a fan in me.
8/10
