Fantastic Mr. Fox
Dig the life fantastic!
Overview
The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
Backdrop
What makes this movie Worth Watching
Fantastic Mr. Fox, while seemingly a children's film, tackles deeper themes of midlife crisis and the struggle to reconcile domesticity with one's wilder instincts. It resonates with adults facing similar challenges, making it a film enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The film also subtly comments on class conflict, as the wealthy farmers represent a different social strata than the foxes.
- The stop-motion animation is visually stunning and meticulously crafted, creating a unique and charming aesthetic.
- The voice acting is superb, with a star-studded cast delivering witty and memorable performances.
- The film's clever adaptation of Roald Dahl's story balances humor and heart, exploring themes of family, ambition, and identity.
- Wes Anderson's signature directorial style, including symmetrical compositions, quirky characters, and dry wit, is on full display.
Fun Facts
- The characters' fur was made from actual animal fur that was then hand-sewn onto the puppets.
- George Clooney and Meryl Streep recorded their dialogue together in a real barn to enhance the naturalness of their performance.
- The film's production involved a considerable amount of improvisation from the actors, which was then incorporated into the final script.
Available Languages
English
US
Title:
"Dig the life fantastic!"
Italiano
IT
Title:
"La sua vita è fantastica... sua moglie è fantastica... i suoi vicini, beh, non molto"
Deutsch
DE
Title: Der fantastische Mr. Fox
""
Français
FR
Title:
"Sa vie est fantastique. Sa femme est fantastique. Ses voisins… pas si fantasiques."
Magyar
HU
Title: A fantasztikus Róka úr
""
Türkçe
TR
Title: Yaman Tilki
"Fantastik hayatı kazın!"
Where to Watch
Cast
Crew
Reviews
Fantastic, indeed.
'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is a terrific stop motion animated film, which is unmistakably a piece of Wes Anderson's work. I enjoyed the whole film undoubtedly, though the first half is much stronger than the second. The opening piece of stop motion didn't actually fill me with confidence, but thankfully that immediately disappeared as the whole thing looks truly excellent.
George Clooney is great in this, definitely the most I've liked a performance (from what I've currently seen, of course) of his away from the 'Ocean's flicks. Every member of the cast is top notch to be fair, from Bill Murray to Michael Gambon to Eric Anderson. Willem Dafoe is fun too.
Such a fun, uplifting movie. Even terrible actor George Clooney was perfect for the lead role.
The eponymous character lives with his wife and son in their foxhole under a great big tree. He's still got a traditional mischief gene, though, and is determined to use it one last time to rob the three, ruthless, farmers who live nearby. What he doesn't think through is that these farmers are not dimwits. They know exactly who is pilfering from them and so determine to avenge themselves on him and his family by digging them out of their home and, well a siege and a trip to the sewers now ensue for the all of the subterranean families. George Clooney and Meryl Streep lead the vocal cast - and they are great - but for me, the star of the whole thing is Sir Michael Gambon's wonderful contribution as their principal, wonderfully odious, antagonist "Bean". The animation is simple and effective to watch and the writing is frequently pithy offering plenty for the older audience to take from this entertaining critique on responsibility, greed, revenge, loyalty - you name it, it's probably here somewhere. Roald Dahl had an amazing imagination and by imbuing the foxes with human traits (and the humans with some animal ones) here, he makes an whole load of attributes accessible to the audience in a more enjoyably tangential manner - traits that are not always honourable ones, neither. These role reversals work well and make you wonder if humanity is really just in the purview of people! Great fun.
Wes Anderson is the Roald Dahl of films.
Famous Quotes
"If what I think is happening is happening, it better not be."
"I love you too, but I shouldn't have married you."
"We're all different... Him, especially. But there's something kind of fantastic about that, isn't there?"
"Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat?"
"Redemption? Sure. But in the end, he's just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a Chinese restaurant."
Oscar Awards
Wins
Haven't Won A Oscar
Nominations
Haven't Nominated for Oscar
Media
Clip
Foxes, assemble.
Featurette
The Fox & Mr. Anderson
Featurette
Wes Anderson on Fantastic Mr Fox | Film4 Interview Special