Director Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) was the subject of a minor controversy a few months ago when an L.A. Times profile alleged that the idiosyncratic auteur rarely visited the London set of Fantastic Mr. Fox, his stop-motion adaptation of the Road Dahl children's tale, preferring instead to issue orders to his crew via email. If the report is indeed true, Anderson's poor attendance record certainly didn't detract from the final result. Fantastic Mr. Fox is an utter delight: a lively, endearing comic caper that will appeal equally to both young and old, hipster and non-hipster alike.
Having too often overdosed on self-conscious quirk in the past, Anderson shows admirable restraint with Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the result is undoubtedly his most entertaining and accessible film yet. Admittedly, the film's old school, retro-style animation does take some getting get used to; younger audience members, raised on a steady diet of cutting-edge Pixar flicks, might even suspect that they're watching some relic produced before they were born. But their skepticism will quickly fade as soon they're drawn into the first of several increasingly audacious farm heists mounted by the clever Mr. Fox (voiced with easygoing charm by George Clooney) and his rag-tag crew of woodland critter pals.
Despite its mainstream appeal, Fantastic Mr. Fox retains the distinctive feel of a Wes Anderson film. Clooney and co-star Meryl Streep are complemented by a supporting cast of Anderson regulars, including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. The film's art direction is as stylish and nuanced as its stop-motion animation is precise; its soundtrack littered with the familiar sounds of the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. And Mr. Fox's flair for elaborate, intricately-planned heists is reminiscent of one of Anderson's earliest and most beloved characters, Bottle Rocket's Dignan.
In an era of animated films produced increasingly by committee, it's refreshing to see one that bears the singular style and personality of its director. After watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, I for one wouldn't be the least bit dismayed if Anderson never made another live-action film again.
Hollywood.com rated this film 4 stars.
Network Reviews
Stupid!!! 
Posted by: allgood | 1/1/2010 9:43:50 PM
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
This movie was sooo stupid! Every scene was like a chapter! Sososososo boring! It was just a really weird movie!
REALLY NICE!!!! 
Posted by: lenamelekova | 12/11/2009 6:02:25 AM
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
i though this movie will be really stupid so i didnt wanted to go n see it AT ALL..!! then i went to get coffee and few people told me the movie was really nice.. so i went to see it.. it was very funny..! it was way better than what i thought it would be.. !
Fantastic Mr Fox is Fantastic 
Posted by: Canaalyce21 | 12/9/2009 9:26:26 PM
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
I am a huge fan of Wes Anderson. When i first red on imdb that he was making an annimated feature and a kids movie i though he was selling out but than i read that it was stop motion, my mind warm up a bit. However i was still worried it wouldn't feel like a wes anderson film. Than i saw the trailer my mind opened up more it looked like a wes anderson film. I went to see it and fell in love with this movie. It is in my top 3 favorite wes anderson films with rushmore, royal tennenbalms, than fantastic mr fox. loved this film.
I enjoyed it a lot! 
Posted by: mooshmouse | 12/6/2009 1:35:55 PM
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
The film is funny. I laughed a lot. I can't wait to show this to my nephew.
So many things RIGHT about this film...! 
Posted by: KID_A | 12/6/2009 1:07:53 PM
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
I went in knowing precious little about this movie, but it didn't take long for me to conclude "This HAS to be a Wes Anderson film!" The eclectic cast, the pace, the idiosyncrasies - and the obligatory Rolling Stones track - gave it away. (About the only thing missing from his usual amalgam was a song by The Kinks.) Yet, I found this film far more accessible and enjoyable than recent Anderson works. Casting George Clooney as a narcissistic, egomaniac - and funny - character might not be much of a stretch, but it works beautifully here. The stop-motion animation is not only effective - it's flat-out hysterical at times!
It might be impossible not to use the word "cute" to describe this film. It is that, and a darn good, fun movie to boast.
Disappointing at best 
Posted by: orsetto81 | 11/30/2009 7:59:45 PM
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Almost walked out twice. Not very true to the the book and for some reason I expected more. It could have been an existential interpretation or a childrens movie, in the end it was a lame in-between. Instead of swearing they said things like "what the cuss are you talking about" "don't be such a cussing jerk" and everything else and just using the word "cuss" as a substitute. It was strange, overly long and disjointed. It seemed not to know what it wanted to be and was just terrible. A definite miss.
The epitome of artificiality...and a ton of fun 
Posted by: Eric Melin | 11/25/2009 1:22:54 PM
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
The immaculately stylized world of Wes Anderson is a natural fit for stop-motion animation, as this breezy Roald Dahl adaptation proves.
