“Fantastic Mr. Fox” appropriately named

Wes Anderson has always made films about people who, for one reason or another, feel a need to take control over their lives. Whether his characters are trying to avenge a friend, reconcile with their family or seduce their teacher, they are characters who feel a need to take charge of a world that is not their own.

When I first read about Wes Anderson’s film adaptation of the children’s book “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” I was skeptical, wondering if Anderson’s dry sense of humor could translate to children. After seeing the film, I realized how child-like Anderson’s characters really are.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is Anderson’s stop-motion adaption of Roald Dahl’s story about a fox leading a rebellion against the local farmers. George Clooney voices Mr. Fox as a red-furred Danny Ocean, planning and carrying out a series of daring chicken coop heists and struggling against his animal nature. He is backed by Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson, who each take a furry turn in the spotlight. It causes the audience to suspend their disbelief and accept that they’re watching a movie about anthropomorphic animals standing up to The Man.

Anderson uses stop-motion animation masterfully, as his characters moving smoothly and naturally. Human actors acting like humans have an automatic credibility: they know how humans move. The animators of this film had to make inanimate animal puppets look and move like humans. They wear suits, play sports, paint in landscapes, print newspapers and make you forget that they’re puppets, which is what all puppets ought to do.

As incredible as this film is, the most fantastic part was that while it is an animated movie, it never feels animated. The setting and plot were unbelievable and I can’t imagine anyone not understanding or appreciating the characters. The animals feel like real people. They feel jealousy and love, vanity and hate and they make the audience feel for ourselves what we are at our core – animals.

It seems that movies like “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Where the Wild Things Are” are becoming more and more common in Hollywood. These films aren’t intense character studies of criminals, period pieces or self-indulgent social commentary. They’re just good, fun movies that make you learn about yourself and the way of the world.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is an exemplary family film that truly contains something for everyone. Viewers are welcomed into a world where the animals are kind, decent and loving. I urge you not to write off this film as a family movie. Children may look at the cuddly critters and be hypnotized, but Anderson is telling Roald Dahl’s story to everyone.

It would be a shame not to listen.

Grade: A