FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring the voices of: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Anderson, Bill Murry, Wally Wolodarsky, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson
Fans of Wes Anderson's quirky films may have had their hearts skip a beat or two when they heard he was making an animated film. But not to worry - this is a thoroughly Anderson-ian movie. And I had to come with a new word just to describe it.
Based on the book by Roald Dahl, the film follows Mr. Fox (Clooney) and his wife (Streep), former chicken thieves who settle down into domestic life after the birth of their sullen son Ash (Schwartzman). They are joined later by the soft-spoken cousin Kristofferson (Anderson), who Mr. Fox (and everyone else) dotes on, much to Ash's chagrin. However, the quiet life is not for Mr. Fox, who longs to indulge his "inner animal," and with the help of his friend Kylie (Wolodarsky), begins stealing chickens again on the sly. This brings all sorts of complications when the the farmers he's been stealing from decide to fight back.
The film deals with a lot of the themes you'll find in other Anderson movies, not the least of which being a dysfunctional family. There is a ton of idiosyncratic dialogue and the same deadpan (and yet very human) readings that make something that's not so funny on the page something that brings out the laughs. The problem is, animation is all about characature. Even the performances need to be larger than life for the entire film to make sense. Here, we just have a typical Wes Anderson movie. But with anthropomorphic animals.
The film was done in stop-motion animation, which is normally utilized to give things a more three-dimensional look. However, the animation here is decidedly flat - almost like a diorama come to life. This isn't a problem necessarily, but if you're going to use a particular medium, why not use it to its utmost potential? I feel like there was a lot wasted here.
But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the film. I thought it was funny, heartfelt and fun to watch. But Wes Anderson is still a writer/director that polarizes people. You either love him or you hate him. And I've always enjoyed his films. And if you've never given Wes Anderson a try, this is a good place to start.
The thing about the animation is that that IS what Anderson was going for. It was supposed to be really old-school, rough stop motion, like the old Rankin-Bass specials and things. The diorama look was an artistic choice, and I think it worked really well myself.
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