Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
MOVIE REVIEW
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
A Wily Fox And Friends
Mr. Fox (voiced by George clooney) leads the way in "The
Fantastic Mr. Fox", expanding its release today in the U.S. and Canada.
Fox Searchlight
By Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Fox and Friends? Not an allusion to the much-talked about conservative
American cable television network but an apt and succinct description of Wes
Anderson's terrifically entertaining Fox Searchlight release "The Fantastic Mr.
Fox", one of the director's best films. Over the years I've finally
grasped the idea that the makers of animated movies make them first and foremost
for themselves and secondly for children, meaning that in many cases kids end up
liking them far less than adults do. This is certainly the case with films
like "Up" and
"Coraline", the latter of which scared the living daylights out of
many kids (and a few adults.)
In "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" the fantastic Mr. Anderson (who also voices the
character of the Weasel) doesn't scare anyone away with his crisp, sunny
stop-motion animation feature adaptation of celebrated British author Roald
Dahl's book about a fox mired in mediocrity and poverty who plots to steal from
the greedy humans not far away from the den where they reside. The plan is
easier than both its execution and the understanding that Mr. Fox (slyly and
humorously voiced by George Clooney) has other problems of his own, including a
petulant son (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) who doubts his self-worth and is
trying to prove that he's good enough for his stalwart father.
Despite the fact that over 56,000 shots were utilized for it, there's a gaiety
and near-effortless flow to "Fantastic" that has the viewer floating on clouds.
The animation and vivid colors are a treat to watch (photgraphed by Tristan
Oliver who also voices here) when in another film they might have been a
complete distraction (and disaster.) Mr. Anderson, who has directed
notable films ("The Royal Tenenbaums") positively imbues this latest effort with
his trademark irreverent, quirky filmmaking style, merging his sensibilities
with Mr. Dahl's classic literature, and it's a perfect match.
The actors (including Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox and Anderson regular Bill Murray
as the Badger) are nimble and sharp with their lines as scripted by the director
and Noah Baumbach, and the marriage of acting and animation has rarely been
better. There are some memorable characters here, and both kids and adults
alike will have endless fun and enjoyment with this affectionate crowd-pleaser.
Always lively and funny, with a golden haze reminiscent of the 1970s, there's a
feeling that for every karate chop, exuberant exultation, gymnastic gyration and
dance of freedom that either Danny Terrio or The Partridge Family are about to
spring from around the corner. This is a triumph of filmmaking of which
Mr. Dahl would have highly approved.
With the additional voices of: Wallace Wolodarsky, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon,
Eroc Chase Anderson, Owen Wilson, Roman Coppola, Adrian Brody, Allison Abbate,
Molly Cooper, Helen McCrory and Karen Duffy.
"The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is rated PG by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for action, smoking and slang humor. The film's running time is
one hour and 27 minutes.
Read more movie reviews and stories from Omar
here.
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