FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Wes Anderson films are something of an acquired taste. A critical darling, his quirky interpersonal rhythms have never really translated well to mainstream audiences.
His latest, Fantastic Mr. Fox, is unlikely to change that trend.
Based on the book by Roald Dahl, the film stars the voice of George Clooney as Mr. Fox, a charming wild fox who is forced to give up on chicken hunting by his wife Mrs. Fox, who seeks a normal and more tranquil life. Soon, though, the lure of adventure and danger drives Fox to seek out one last hunt.
Rendered in painstaking stop motion, the film has a quaint, antique beauty. Unfortunately, the “how’d they do that” factor detracts from the storyline and characters. I spent more time watching the fur move around on the Fox puppet’s skeleton than I did being absorbed in the family drama, and that’s a fundamental flaw in the film.
The voice actors generally work. Clooney is okay, although he never feels totally engaged in the role. Meryl Streep also feels surprisingly lethargic as his wife. Bill Murray and Owen Wilson also lend their voices to secondary characters, and they are more successful in giving the film a distinctive comedic pulse.
However, this flatness has always been one of my major gripes about Wes Anderson’s films. They always seem to be drowsy and played at half levels of energy. In live action, those kinds of rhythms work better. In stop motion, that pace is deadly. It is actually odd that Anderson chose to create this film in stop motion, which might only appeal to children. I have a hard time believing that Anderson’s usual audience would really want to see handcrafted animation that looks like an old Rankin Bass show from the sixties. It was a heartfelt gamble I’m sure, but one that proves too costly to recommend.
A decent film, but it misses its mark.
