Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

[Homer Yen]

"Mr. Fox" Has Its Cunning Moments
by Homer Yen
(c) 2009

Based on the children's book by Roald Dahl (who also wrote other
children's books that were turned into films, including: "Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," and "James and the Giant Peach"),
the tale of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" begins with: "Boggis and Bunce and
Bean.  One short, one fat, one lean.  These horrible crooks, so
different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean."

Now, Mr. Fox (voiced by the ever-foxy George Clooney) isn't quite the
law-abiding citizen either.  And his sense of cunning trumps common
sense most of the time.  In an early scene, he and Mrs. Fox (voiced by
Merryl Streep) get caught in a trap in their attempt to steal
chickens.  If they survive, Mrs. Fox makes Mr. Fox promise that he
would give up that lifestyle forever.  But just as it is impossible to
stay ahead of inflation by putting your money in a savings account,
it's impossible for Mr. Fox to stay domesticated forever.  Boggis,
Bunce, and Bean each have a farm full of poultry, meats, and cider.
And when Mr. Fox has his sights set on their goodies, his thefts are
clever and fun to watch.

Drama begins to kick in as he has trouble maintaining loyalty to his
wife and as he has trouble being a good dad to his son.  Meanwhile,
his exploits have enraged Bogis, Bunce and Bean.  They band together
to destroy Mr. Fox.  Their efforts to bulldoze, to dig up,  and to
detonate have dire consequences for the Fox family and plenty of other
woodland animals.  But Mr. Fox puts together an Ocean 11's type of
plan to outwit and outlast them.

While "Fantastic Mr. Fox" can't be compared to the stellar output from
the Pixar and Dreamworks studios, you can't deny its lovability and
its nostalgic feel.  I'm pleased that it was able to give me a fresh
perspective on film-watching in general.  For one, this is a film that
provides the main character with lots to be thankful for.  And thus,
this is a nice film to see during Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the film is also visually refreshing. The art design is
certainly part of the film's appeal.  It is like watching a book
on-screen.  Color palettes are consistently refreshing.  And, the film
also uses the hardly-ever-used process of stop-motion photography. So
I appreciate the old-school look and the effort that went into this
because the look of the film gives the feeling that a lot of effort
went into this kind of project.  I learned that the film was shot at a
frame rate of 12 frames per second, rather than the more fluid 24, so
that viewers would notice the medium of stop-motion itself.  The final
effect is that it provides a visual experience that's as quirky as the
Wallace & Gromit videos but not as stingy as those Rankin-Bass holiday
productions (you remember them don't you?  They include Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc...).

Not everything works in "Fantastic Mr. Fox".  The film doesn't seem
tame enough for the little ones.  The pace seems a little too
frenetic.  And there's a kind of smarminess to it that didn't sit
right with me.  But most of it does.  It's certainly engaging enough
for the entire family.

Grade:	B

S:	0 out of 3
L:	0 out of 3
V:	1 out of 3