Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

[Tim Skirvin]

  When I was growing up, my father loved to read to me and my
brother.  At first, this was mostly stuff like the Dr Seuss family of books,
good stuff that read well and lent itself to memorization.  But as we grew
up, we got into more "sophisticated" fare.  His absolute favorite was Roald
Dahl, whose books (_The Witches_, _The BFG_, and especially _The Twits_)
were twisted and humorous - what other authors do you know that write about
a woman hiding her glass eye in her husband's beer?  - but most of all,
they're fun to read out loud.  And as we grew older, and no longer quite so
easy to read to, he's found other kids to read to - nieces and nephews,
family friends, etc.  But still, one of the things that comes to mind when I
think of my Dad is the joy he got - still gets - from those dark, twisted,
*smart* children's stories.

  But I really wasn't expecting to be reminded so clearly of those
old days when I walked into a second-run theatre on Sunday night and
watched _Fantastic Mr.  Fox_.

  Part of it was the animation.  I had seen the animation style in the
trailers, and while I had been impressed, I didn't quite recognize at the
time how close of a fit it was to Dahl's work.  The stop-motion puppetry was
different, immersive, effective, and ever so slightly *off* in a positive
way.  It was both jerky and graceful, and interestingly understated.  The
characters were visually distinctive, both in stills and in their motions.
Together, it brought across Dahl's writing style in a visual manner,
something that I don't think any previous adaptation has managed nearly so
well.

  Another part of it was Wes Anderson's direction and writing.  I
certainly had seen his minimalist dialogue, quirky writing, and episodic
formats as conducive to a children's story - something like _The Royal
Tenenbaums_ would play spectacularly for children, IMO - but I hadn't
really thought of how it would work out with animation.  But Dahl's work
clearly matched his style in a way that I had little reason to suspect
going in.  The adaptation felt like a book, and the narration gave it that
feeling of a bedtime story.  

  But mostly, it was that story, and more accurately the *characters*
in the story.  The characters were either unremittingly evil and dark (the
humans, a few animals), or noble and dark (the rest of the animals).  Every
character was flawed, and they wore their flaws on their sleeves.  Their
mistakes were made knowingly, telegraphed for the viewers in a way that
didn't seem fake or unfair.  And while the good guys may come out on top in
the end - more-or-less - it's not without some losses that seem both real
and relevant.  

  Together, it felt like a bedtime story that was worth listening to
long after I should be done with listening to bedtime stories.  And I spent
the whole movie grinning.

  I didn't see this movie in 2009, but it may still be my movie of
the year.  Or at least I think that's how it works.  Certainly, I look
forward to seeing it with my father when it's out on DVD.  And if, for some
reason, he ever works on _The Twits_ or _The BFG_, I suspect I'll have to
fly out to see it with my Dad on opening day.

  ****

  (Also - we have a second-run movie theatre in the Bay now?  Yay,
Bluelight!)

                           - Tim Skirvin (tskirvin at killfile.org)
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