We all know foxes are mischievous. But is it possible for a fox to give up his animal ways to live a straight and simple life for his family? Fantastic Mr. Fox is an amazing stop motion animation movie that is definitely a must watch for children and adults alike. The film, directed by Wes Anderson, is adapted from Roald Dahl’s children’s book.

Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney, is a former chicken raider who gets taken out of his instinctive job to a more simple and stable job as a columnist in a newspaper once he finds out his wife is pregnant. Ten years later he is living in an underground borrow with his wife, Mrs. Fox, played by Meryl Streep, and his son, Ash, played by Jason Schwartzman.

However, Mr. Fox is not satisfied with his lifestyle and he moves his family to a tree house directly facing three chicken farms. What happens next is no surprise. He wants to pull off one last job. On three consecutive nights Mr. Fox and his opossum sidekick Kylie raid the chicken houses one by one. The three farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean are enraged for being outfoxed by Mr. Fox once again. They decide it is time to outsmart the fox.

Not only is there tension with Mr. Fox and the farmers, but there is also an identity crisis with Ash. Ash strives to be like his father, the perfect athlete. But everyone seems to see him as smaller, weaker, and just different. There is great tension between Ash and Kristofferson, Mr. Fox’s nephew who comes to live with them while his dad is sick with double pneumonia, because the later is tall and a gifted athlete while Ash is not. Ash must come to terms with his uniqueness and special abilities. Ash is quite the interesting character with his special cap and bandit sock cap and a eccentric personality to go with it.

One of the most dynamic characters is definitely Mrs. Fox. At first she only seems like the typical mother who knows how to handle her growing son and a good wife who loves her husband and is capable of dealing with his foolishness. She is strong in that she continuously struggles to keep her family together although she may not always know how to protect her husband and son. However, she will never stop trying. Her maternal instincts and femininity is her power.

This story may be a typical Roald Dahl fable, but the film is definitely a classic Wes Anderson. The puppets and scenery used in this stop motion animation are beautifully put together. The puppets used have real fur that makes them a sense of reality. The characters are somewhat odd but cool, and silly. The complexity of the stop motion still manages to preserve the simplicity required for a children’s movie.

Alexandre Desplat’s music mirrors the style of the film and fits in just as well. The lyrics to some of the songs are quite comical and often catchy which definitely animates the already uplifted scenes.  Music is not just for audience for also a great part for the characters as well. Mr. Fox and later Ash carry portable radios and play tunes from time to time.

Wes Anderson manages to capture the plot extremely well through the tiniest details in the movie. The train that passes through the town various times throughout the movie looks much like a toy train to represent childhood. But at the same time the train represents a departure from the wild to a more tamed lifestyle. There is also a wolf that may seem somewhat irrelevant at first, but also represents the beauty of the wild. That connection between the wolf and Mr. Fox was absolutely beautiful. It was definitely a great way to end the movie.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is unquestionably a fantastic film. Wes Anderson does a great job in maintaining the classic book while adding some twists of his own to liven up the movie. It may be questionable as to what extent an animated movie can be enjoyable but this is definitely a must see movie filled with love, jealousy, laughter, and thrill.

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