‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ - Movie deep focus
Wes Anderson perfectly combines a humorous animated film with a thrilling plot and epic love story. In his seventh film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Anderson has notable actors such as George Clooney and Meryl Streep to portray the greed that affects all groups in society.
Similar to his other films such as “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The French Dispatch,” Anderson sustains the common theme of existential identity crisis while never dropping his personable touch.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a cartoon that focuses on the family of foxes who live underneath a tree directly across from the companies of three wicked farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. These three farmers each specialize in a separate business, all of which interest Mr. Fox.
After years of promising his wife that he will stop stealing from the farmers, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) finally gives in and starts stealing chickens from Mr. Boggis. After his wife (Meryl Streep) finds out, the couple teams up to complete a heist on these farmers.
From chickens, geese and hard cider, Mr. and Mrs. Fox put their lives at risk to obtain an abundance of these products.
Along with having a son, Ash, the Foxes also have their cousin, Kris, staying with them. Mrs. Fox worries the robberies will put their whole family at risk — she couldn’t be more right.
Forced deep underground, Mr. Fox puts his family and entire friend group at risk as he rivals the three clever farmers. Forced to use his gifted strategies, Mr. Fox leads their whole town through a maze of underground tunnels in an attempt to escape the aggressive farmers.
The most impressive part about this 90-minute film is the production process. As a claymation film, Anderson uses stop-motion technology to piece together a flowing masterpiece.
On top of being a claymation stop-motion film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” uses very minimal CGI and consists mainly of puppetry, practical effects and stop-motion animation. Anderson purposely produced this film at 12 frames per second instead of the usual 24 frames per second. He slows down the frames to allow viewers to appreciate and notice the art of stop-motion.
Not only is the production and directing recognizable; but the soundtrack is also perfect for any occasion. Ranging from The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and scores from Alexandre Desplat, there is a song perfect for every scene. Songs such as “Heroes and Villains” perfectly set the mood for the scene, raising the adrenaline and further engaging the viewer in the film.
Whether you are a longtime fan of Wes Anderson or looking for a short comical film to watch, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” delivers. With a runtime of only 87 minutes and jokes appropriate for all ages, this is the perfect movie for any occasion.
Rating: 4.5/5
Vanessa Wasden is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email vaw5153@psu.edu.
