Review: Fantastic Mr Fox
By Michael Hofmeyr
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was my first introduction to the world of the fantastic Mr. Wes Anderson. Since then I have grown fond of his characteristic blend of dry humour and poignancy and the sad and flawed, yet optimistic protagonists that populate his films. For his most recent project, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson teams up once more with Life Aquatic collaborator, screenwriter Noah Baumbach to apply his brand of filmmaking to animation in the form of an adaptation of the popular children's book by Roald Dahl. While animation regrettably turns out not to be the most effective vehicle for Anderson's humour, Fantastic Mr. Fox is still a thoroughly enjoyable watch.
The film opens with the eponymous Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) dragging Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) along on a chicken house raid. After this adventure ends up almost killing the young couple, Mr. Fox vows to turn his life around and become a respectable family fox. Several years pass, and Mr. Fox has kept his word. However, now the cunning canid decides that it is time for his family to move to a more respectable fox hole, which happens to be located under a tree right across from the properties of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The question now becomes whether Mr. Fox can keep his wild predatory nature at bay. Otherwise, who knows how the farmers might retaliate against a thieving family of foxes?
The psychological twists and complexities that the director adds to Dahl's characters clearly mark the film out as one of Anderson's own. Mr. Fox is no longer as unambiguously fantastic as his children’s book counterpart. Mrs. Fox is no longer the unquestioning, compliant housewife. The fox children are a lot less cute and innocent, acting much more like teenagers than cutesy fluff-balls. These stylistic differences, in addition to the artistic liberties taken by the film-maker in restructuring and adding to the plot, might lead to disappointment for fans of the book. Much of the film's subtlety will also be lost on young viewers, perhaps making an Aardman, Studio Ghibli or Disney-Pixar film a better alternative for animated family viewing.
Despite the changes from the original, Anderson’s version of Fantastic Mr. Fox is by no means a bad film. The problem with it is just that something seems to be lacking that is present in the director's earlier films, although, given the understated tone of all works, it is not that easy to pinpoint exactly what that something is. Mr. Fox comes across as less sympathetic than such previous Anderson protagonists as Steve Zissou (played by Bill Murray) or the Whitman brothers from The Darjeeling Limited, which makes his story less touching. This might be a consequence of the stop-motion animation process used for the film. Even though the models are crafted and animated with great technical care, the animation technique simply does not allow for the subtleties in acting and facial expression that actors such as Bill Murray lend to Anderson's other films and which are a vital ingredient in his trademark recipe. With this component missing, Fantastic Mr. Fox cannot be ranked among the director’s previous masterpieces.
Rating: 3 stars
The film opens with the eponymous Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) dragging Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) along on a chicken house raid. After this adventure ends up almost killing the young couple, Mr. Fox vows to turn his life around and become a respectable family fox. Several years pass, and Mr. Fox has kept his word. However, now the cunning canid decides that it is time for his family to move to a more respectable fox hole, which happens to be located under a tree right across from the properties of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The question now becomes whether Mr. Fox can keep his wild predatory nature at bay. Otherwise, who knows how the farmers might retaliate against a thieving family of foxes?
The psychological twists and complexities that the director adds to Dahl's characters clearly mark the film out as one of Anderson's own. Mr. Fox is no longer as unambiguously fantastic as his children’s book counterpart. Mrs. Fox is no longer the unquestioning, compliant housewife. The fox children are a lot less cute and innocent, acting much more like teenagers than cutesy fluff-balls. These stylistic differences, in addition to the artistic liberties taken by the film-maker in restructuring and adding to the plot, might lead to disappointment for fans of the book. Much of the film's subtlety will also be lost on young viewers, perhaps making an Aardman, Studio Ghibli or Disney-Pixar film a better alternative for animated family viewing.
Despite the changes from the original, Anderson’s version of Fantastic Mr. Fox is by no means a bad film. The problem with it is just that something seems to be lacking that is present in the director's earlier films, although, given the understated tone of all works, it is not that easy to pinpoint exactly what that something is. Mr. Fox comes across as less sympathetic than such previous Anderson protagonists as Steve Zissou (played by Bill Murray) or the Whitman brothers from The Darjeeling Limited, which makes his story less touching. This might be a consequence of the stop-motion animation process used for the film. Even though the models are crafted and animated with great technical care, the animation technique simply does not allow for the subtleties in acting and facial expression that actors such as Bill Murray lend to Anderson's other films and which are a vital ingredient in his trademark recipe. With this component missing, Fantastic Mr. Fox cannot be ranked among the director’s previous masterpieces.
Rating: 3 stars