One thing I have to tell you about Fantastic Mr. Fox is that it took me many, many years to finally sit down and watch this. The reason is that when I first saw the trailer, I hated the way the animals looked! I know that sounds crazy, but it just did not click with me and I never gave the movie a chance, even though most people who saw it told me it was great.
How to Download Fantastic Mr. Fox
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like stop-motion films, check out also our reviews of Chicken Run, Corpse Bride, or Shaun the Sheep Movie.
The Movie Review
Well, thanks to streaming, I decided to finally give the movie a chance and I enjoyed it. It is based on the classic Roald Dhal novel and is brought to us by the very talented Wes Anderson. You know the more I think about it the more I am mad at myself for not going to see this in the theatre when it was released back in 2009!
The plot of the movie is about Foxy Fox who with his animal buddies is a bit of a rogue and a master thief. His wife informs him that she is pregnant so Fox agrees to give up his criminal lifestyle and be a more traditional family man… well fox, but you know what I mean.
He moves into a new place where three dangerous farmers live, but one night Fox and his friend Kylie end up raiding the farmer’s produce and it makes him long for the old days. He wants to be a good dad and husband, but he also misses the life that he used to have. It is a pretty deep metaphor for the way many people feel as they get older and have kids and the movie does it very well.
The three farmers are called, Boggis, Bean, and Bunce, and they along with a rat called… Rat are the antagonists of the film. The farmers are sick of Fox and decide that they are going to kill him and all the animals that they feel are ruining their farm. Things get complicated when Fox’s son and nephew get drawn into it and we see Fox step up and try to do the right thing.
Fantastic Mr. Fox has a tremendous voice cast with George Clooney in the titular role. Clooney is joined by the likes of Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murry, and Owen Wilson. It is one of the most amazing casts I have seen in an animated movie and they all help bring the story to life.
While it sounds good what about the way it looks? Back when I saw the first trailer in 2009, the art style really turned me off. It is made with stop animation and the animals have a more “human” look to them. The sets have a realistic vibe going on and it is one of the most unique-looking animated movies I have ever seen. I came around to it, but I do have to say that as impressive as it is, the art style is just not for me.
I enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox and as I said, I do wish I went to see this in the theatre when it was released. I think that the story is fantastic and the best thing about it. It has a very mature kind of story and I do wonder how that will sit with kids. Do not be a dummy like me and make the effort to give this a watch as it is very good.
