Wes Anderson's Odyssey: Fantastic Mr. Fox
This review of Fantastic Mr. Fox is spoiler-free!
If there's one thing you can tell from the title of these pieces, it's that I really have grown to have an affection for Wes Anderson's unique style and films. As I mentioned previously, with the upcoming release of Isle of Dogs, I wanted to take some time and tackle all of his most popular releases over the years. A special film though in this run up to Isle of Dogs is his most recent animated film: Fantastic Mr. Fox. Showing the style we can expect from Isle of Dogs, this film can provide viewers with an idea of whether Wes Anderson's unique style can translate well into an animated format. So, enough chit-chat about other movies, let's talk about Fantastic Mr. Fox!
We start our story with the fox known as quite simply: Mr. Fox. He's been living peacefully with his son Ash Fox, and his wife Felicity Fox. After working long and hard, he decides he wants to move out from underground and into a more luxurious above ground home. Upon their arrival at their new home, Mr. Fox breaks a promise he made to his wife 12 long years ago and steals from their human neighbors. From here, he puts his lovely family at risk and has to think of a plan to stop the human's reign of terror of them. Fantastic Mr. Fox's story is unique and fun-filled. Sure this film sounds like the type of story made for children, but it's truthfully great for all ages. Anyone who watches this movie can have a good time and I wouldn't hesitate to go and rewatch this film for the story.
For characters, there's a lot of major players but the main star of the story is Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney. He's a fox with a great life as a writer for a newspaper, but he longs for the life he once had with his wife. Clooney brings comedy and joy to this character and makes him so lovable and interesting. This is some really good work from Clooney and while he wasn't nominated for any real awards from it, he deserved the recognition. I'd love to spend time talking about Meryl Streep's Felicity Fox, but I think the character who faces more development throughout the story is his son Ash. Voiced by Jason Schwartzman, Ash is trying to prove to his family that he's athletic. His character is challenged by a cousin who seems better in every aspect, and his character building is excellent. Schwartzman adds a boyish charm to the role that portrays that angst we all feel at that age.
What really makes Fantastic Mr. Fox so well... Fantastic is that it has comedy gold. Whether it be through the use of Kylie Oppossum and his hypnotized eyes out of nowhere, or just the quick comments made between them it's absolutely hilarious. Out of the three films I've watched from Anderson, this one I laughed the most from. Along with this, we really get to experience the Anderson film style in all of its glory here. The side pans and avoidance of character zoom unless in particularly important moments makes the story that much fun. While it feels like it fits in with his live-action films, it makes the stop-motion animation of Fantastic Mr. Fox all that much better. It really feels made for animation and it has me that much more excited for Isle of Dogs.
As a film, Fantastic Mr. Fox hits so many positives that I really don't have all that much to be upset about within this film. I can't say it's a top film of the century or anything on that level, but Wes Anderson's animated masterpiece is one of the best I've seen. The way it uses a rather forgotten art in stop-animation and makes such lovable characters makes it stand out in a field of 3D/CGI animated films. For those of you who want to experience a different type of animated film, or want more of Wes Anderson: Fantastic Mr. Fox is a great experience and a fun ride for any age.
