Mr. Fox (played by George Clooney) is the Vulpus Vulpus Man of La Mancha. He is an idealistic daredevil of a fox, launching hare-brained schemes to steal from plentiful chicken coupes. Since he is a fox, he is obviously doing what he needs to survive but is also acting to satisfy his intrepid craving for an adventure. Long ago, he made a promise to Mrs. Fox (played by Meryl Streep) that he would never steal chickens again because she was pregnant. That is to say, Mr. Fox promised he would never do anything to compromise the sanctity of the Fox family. Fast forward 12 fox years, or two human years later. Mr. Fox is now a newspaper columnist, Mrs. Fox is a landscape painter, and their son Ash is plagued by the depression of teenage angst. There is no denying that Mr. Fox loves his family. He just doesn't really like the family life. He wants that sense of purpose; the unwavering disposition that his life will be remembered. He moves his family into a new tree, going against the advice of the Badger (played by Bill Murray) and living very close to Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. These three men are the "meaniest, nastiest, ugliest farmers in the valley" according to the Badger. But they also are the premier suppliers of chickens, ducks, turkeys, and cider in the valley. This of course is very appealing to Mr. Fox; so appealing that it crosses the boundary of temptation. Mr. Fox simply cannot resist the urge to steal from Boggis, Bunce, and Bean with the Possum. He forsakes the promise he made to his wife and decides to take part in one last hurrah. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean find out about his ambitious idiosyncrasies and proceed to hunt down Mr. Fox, his entire family, and all the animals in the valley. The film transforms into a life-and-death struggle for survival as the audience fervidly listens to the pulsating harmony of the Boggis, Bunce, and Bean theme song.
Anderson is dealing in the realm of the metaphorical with this particular film. He stretches the limits of his imagination to bring us something that is both vibrant and faithful to the originality of Roald Dahl's book. The characters are endowed with human qualities, symbolizing the animal within ourselves. In playing with that, Anderson is able to inject his particular brand of humor into the story and make a film that is completely his own. The intricacies of the characters, combined with the visual style and look of the film, suggest a kind of subliminal appreciation for the outlandish and delightfully eccentric behaviors within ourselves. Yet Anderson is also commenting on the dangers of eccentricity; particularly how fatal they can be to the structural discipline of the family unit. Mr. Fox's actions almost destroy the people he loves. And the tears of sorrow that Mrs. Fox deploys are genuine and authentic because it demonstrates real fear and real anxiety. But perhaps it is Mr. Anderson who is so fearful and anxious. His films tend to reflect the ongoing dysfunction of the family unit; its inability to coalesce and thrive as a whole is a troublesome theme evident in all of Mr. Anderson's work. The relationship between Mr. Fox and Ash throughout the film is mediocre at best. Ash's cousin, Kristofferson, is Mr. Fox's ideal vision of the son he always wanted. The accomplishments of Ash are therefore considered to be obsolete and remain so until Ash sports his refined tube sock for a bandit hat near the end of the film. Anderson's concern for the perseverance of the modern family serves as a parallel thought to his observations on unorthodox behavior throughout his entire body of work. The fact that Fantastic Mr. Fox ends with family and friends dancing in a supermarket seems to indicate Anderson's longstanding optimism and faith in the converging of these two ideas ultimately leading to a greater peace of mind.
On the surface, Fantastic Mr. Fox is an eloquent piece of work. The writing is smart, crisp, and clever enough to make this animated film perhaps more enjoyable to adults than it would be for children. Some of the themes that Anderson is working with here will not be fully understood or appreciated by the impressionable minds of young children. With that being said, there are enough visual jokes and comedic subtleties to keep them occupied for the entire 87 minutes of this film. And I thoroughly enjoyed Anderson's use of stop-motion animation in the film. Not only does it give the film a more elegant visual sensibility, but it also emphasizes the motif of a puppet world. That is to say we are controlled by our own desires and subjected to our own temptations. It corresponds greatly with the themes of a Wes Anderson picture and certainly does not hinder the overall structure of the film in any way. Anderson's use of color and lighting corresponds with the way he presents his story. His direct humor and imaginative physical comedy leave the audience feeling blissful and content with the survival of Mr. Fox. In the end, the film proves to be too irresistible to ignore. Anderson's quirky fox odyssey triumphs, while Boggis, Bunce, and Bean still sit near that fox hole wondering how the hell Anderson and Mr. Fox got the best of them.
Lenny's Grade: A-
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