Customer Reviews

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

5 star:		(125)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Frankly, they had me by opening the movie with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," which by the way, is mistakenly listed in the credits as performed by The Wellingtons. Actually it is the soundtrack version by the MelloMen, but I've seen it mislabeled elsewhere too. And the highly underrated "Love" from "Robin Hood." How nice.

The entire score is as unconventional as the film -- dominated by banjo and rhythm tracks to give it an "independent film" texture rather than the now-obligatory John Williams-type score (not that I don't love those scores too, this is just a fresh approach and avoids the modern factory film feel).

Even the titles are clever, all in keeping not only with a singular director's vision, but also very much in the Roald Dahl style. This particular book, by the way, is perhaps one of the most challenging to bring to film since it is one of the few Dahl stories without magical fantasy elements.

I think the overall takeaway, and the thread through all the other comments on this topic is -- intelligence. That's a prized commodity in so much of today's entertainment, animated or otherwise. This is a film as smart as a fox.

Ordinarily, I watch a movie one time. On rare occasion, twice. Has to be a really special movie (or highly quotable, a la Caddyshack or Pulp Fiction) for me to desire multiple viewings.

That said, I can't stop watching "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". The animation is fascinating, the voices are perfect, and the writing and vibe are pure Wes Anderson. On every subsequent viewing, more details come to light. The expressions on the faces of the characters, the way they eat (you'll have to see it), etc. Can't stop watching. Every wordless gesture invites repeated viewing. i.e., something as simple as Kylie shrugging his shoulders and grinning caused me to watch it over and over. Same with Ash turning to look at the camera after a redemption of sorts.

I'm almost embarrassed by how much I like this movie. I'm 46 years old, for crying out loud. But I do.

When I saw previews for this film in the theatre, by wife and I exchanged eye-rolls. So when I borrowed a friend's copy out of sheer boredom with the current panoply of predictable, music video children's films, my expectations were low. In fact, we began this film close to the kid's bedtime so I'd have a reasonable excuse to bail out early.

Well, the kids loved this movie and so did I. It's wonderfully paced, the animal characters are idiosyncratic and immensely likable, and the dialogue is conversational and amusing. I don't like when an animated children's film includes a stratum of adult innuendo. That, to me, is targeted marketing, and those carefully distributed oblique references that make mom and dad chuckle exist to compensate for a weak story. No gimmicks here. Funny situations, cleverly crafted characters, technically superb animation, and a novel story.

We've must've seen it 10x since that first night. Any other film and I would have accidentally lost the video by now.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't a roll of the floor funny type film, but it is one of the funniest films I've seen all year. The film moves along at a quick pace and while no one joke blows you away that fact the it remains funny from start to finish is an achievement that is seldom, well.....achieved!

The animation is quirky almost trippy, kind of like Robot Chicken and Adult Swim type stuff. The voice acting is also strong with Clooney, Murray and company giving the furry characters life. I may not have laughed so hard my stomach ached, but I had a smile on my face from start to finish and that doesn't happen often enough. The DVD transfer looks great, but the extras are pretty bland.

I haven't seen a lot of films by Wes Anderson. I've seen (and loved) `The Royal Tenenbaums' and I saw (and found highly overrated) `Rushmore'. Even with only those two viewings though, it is apparent that Anderson has a unique style, visually as well as vocally. His humor is very dry to the point where he is either astonishingly clever or almost too gimmicky.

Ok, forget it. I was going to go into this longwinded (as usual) spiel about how Wes Anderson's style is apparent all over this film, but in a good way, but I'm getting too impatient.

All I want to say is, "THIS MOVIE IS FANTASTIC"!

If you know me then you know that I don't normally get overly excited about animated films. Sure, there are the occasional animated features that really reach me, but as a rule I'm not entirely drawn to them. There was something about this film though, that grabbed me from the first promo I saw. I just knew that I HAD TO SEE THIS! I took my daughter (my wife refused to go) and I liked it more than she did (to be fair, this is a very adult cartoon with mature humor and a bland color palate that fails to ignite the interest of a toddler). This is not you average `laugh out loud' type of comedy, but if you are familiar with Anderson then you know that that is not his style.

This humor is subtle yet totally spot on.

The story is that of Mr. Fox, a retired chicken thief who has settled into the life of husband and father, yet he still feels that aching need for adventure. When Mr. Fox attempts to get his thrills in by stealing from three very nasty men, he finds that these men will stop at nothing to destroy Mr. Fox and his family.

The voice work couldn't have been better. The deadpan delivery suits comic actors like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman effortlessly, but even George Clooney and Meryl Streep fall beautifully into line. Anderson's direction captures the humor in every scene, and his ascetic is seen all over the place, to glorious effect. I'd easily say that Schwartzman is best in show (I never thought I'd ever say that about him). His voice work totally embodies his character (Ash is just such a brilliant creation) to the point where his every word and action is undeniably unforgettable.

I will say this, the film is not really one I'd recommend for young children, you know, when they are going through that `impressionable stage'. Some of the dialog, while not explicit, could be objectionable to parents. If you don't want your children running around using the word `cuss' in place of colorful expressions you might want to keep them away from this. This is a Roald Dahl adaptation, so the darker themes are to be expected (there are some deaths on screen and some malicious violence), but they are handled with wit and cleverness (that "soap" line is priceless).

I totally recommend this for any adult willing to embrace his inner child!

Filmmaker Wes Anderson is a specialist in comedies about the fault lines in the American dream. "Rushmore" concerns a prep school student, a middle-aged millionaire, and their romantic rivalry over a woman who doesn't want either of them. "The Royal Tennenbaums" examines a family of former prodigies and what happens when their estranged, deadbeat father re-enters their lives, while "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" imagines a Jacques Costeau type adventurer as a combination of Don Quixote and Captain Ahab. Anderson's new film, "Fantastic Mr. Fox," is the story of an aging family man who risks everything to recapture the thrill of his youth. It's set in an imaginary England where all the animal characters talk with American accents, and, along with the steampunk-influenced "Sherlock Holmes," it's one of the two new pictures I've most enjoyed this year.

Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) writes a newspaper column that even his friends don't seem to read, but it provides a comfortable living for his family. The trouble begins when he buys a new home near those of three grotesque farmers: rotund Boggis, dwarfish Bunce, and pencil-thin Bean (voiced by Michael Gambon), the smartest and most dangerous of the three. Mr. Fox, despite his promises to his wife Felicity (voiced to self-possessed perfection by Meryl Streep), reverts to his wild side in a series of nocturnal raids that brings down the wrath of the vindictive trio on himself, his family, and nearly all the wildlife in the area.

Even without all this, there's trouble in the Fox household between the Foxes' sad sack son, Ash, and his visiting cousin Kristofferson, a martial artist, athlete and student of Eastern meditation who outclasses him in just about everything. Ash responds with all the petty adolescent cruelties at his disposal, but he remains basically invisible to his father, a master thief and escape artist who can't understand why his son can't do much more than dress up like a comic book superhero.

The passage of time is an important part of this movie; two human years equals twelve fox years, and Mr. Fox notes that his father died at almost the same age he is now, leading him to wonder if he stopped being true to himself by giving up a life of crime; you get the feeling that he enjoys using the word "existential" without knowing what it means. It's underplayed, as all Wes Anderson comedies are underplayed, and the stop motion puppet animation looks, paradoxically, more lifelike than the typical CG animation we're now used to. One reason I find this movie so enjoyable is that it's an absurd, wickedly funny, thoughtful comedy that leaves the viewer time and room to think and savor the many verbal, visual, and musical jokes that pack the film (as opposed to the bludgeoning sitcom stupidity of most recent animated comedies).

I haven't found myself awaiting a home video release this eagerly in years.

...and it's Wes Anderson at his finest.

So what's the movie about? Well, it's a simple story about a fox who's trying to overcome being what he is (a wild animal) and rise to be something better (noble father). The fox who steals chickens, geese and cider has to eventually arise above his own selfish scams to save his family from some crazy farmers who have more ammunition than brains. It's a relatively well-worn story idea with a lot of layering, character, and execution that either you love or you hate.

This movie is HILARIOUS, but it's a different kind of humor. There's no kicks in the crotch, no swearing (although they say the word "cuss" where swearing would be...genius!), no sex, no off-color or sixth grade humor. This movie is made for people who appreciate subtlety and clever dialogue. This movie is made for people who think that lateral (i.e. random) humor is actually funny when properly executed; think Monty Python without the ADHD. If you're looking for a movie that your family can watch, this is it. If you're looking for a movie to watch with your college philosophy class that you can analyse the tar out of, this is it. If you're looking for a movie to watch late at night with your sweetheart and you're both too tired for something heavy, this is also it.

Wes Anderson has the ability to make films that function on so many levels and yet are thoroughly entertaining for almost anyone.

Top quality voice acting by Hollywood's finest and visual color and texture that is almost strange to see because it's so original. I would never have thought that I would have loved a serious movie made with stop motion animation, but Wes Anderson pulls it off and makes it great!

Highly recommended for all.

In the countryside, there lived a married fox named Mr. Fox (Voiced by George Clooney) with wife Mrs. Fox (Voiced by Meryl Streep) with kids Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and Kirstoferson (Eric Anderson) were living a nice peaceful life. That is until Mr. Fox becomes a chicken-stealer at famed rich farm/grocery store franchise owner Mr Frank Bean (Michael Gambon)'s place causing so much trouble that Bean wants to get even. Some of his friends like Badger (Bill Murray) and others are in danger as well for they must try to survive and find a new place to stay.

Based on Roland Dahl's underrated book, this lives up to the title and is THE best animated movie of 2009. Now "UP" was very good but this is even better as it has more emotion, more unique characters and a better storyline. The film co-stars Owen Wilson and William Dafoe, this movie is a nice break from CGI as being more old fashioned stop motion animation from writer-director-producer Wes Anderson who does his first animated feature. This is a brilliant animated movie mainly for adults but all ages can enjoy it, i wish it could have won best animated movie of the year but oh well, this is a must have for animation buffs.

This Blu-Ray offers the motion picture in the purest crystal picture and sound like ever! the extras are terrific from audio commentary, featurettes, still gallery, puppet animation testing and trailer as well as the DVD version of the film with Digital copy version.

Wes Anderson likes to make fun of the human condition, and he sorta succeeds here...altering a few obvious details. With the great Noah Baumbach, he has scripted one of the most amusing and entertaining films I've seen in years. This animated film is old school, naturalistic, and very reminiscent of the classic animated films of yore.A little known tale by Roald Dahl is presented, voiced by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, etc., with a charm and originality that can't be compared to other Dahl tales on film. It's nominated for 2 Oscars, and I think it should win something, but the criteria of the Academy is not the same as us, the general public. I enjoyed "Up" a lot, but I enjoyed "Fantastic Mr Fox" a bit more. Both are fine films. Both are exhausting, regarding plot. Both have cynical reparteé, but "Mr Fox" had characters that were sillier and funnier. Alexandre Desplat's Oscar nominated score was appropriate on all levels. I simply enjoyed this film a lot.

There's plenty of coverage already on how unique and well-done this 'delightfully enjoyable for all ages' animated fantasy is! Dittoes from me... I'll just add my thanks to my twenty-something son for 'turning me on to' this wonder! I was (belatedly) raving about how unexpectedly good Rattatouille (sp?) was when he highly recommended this. He was so right! I will be buying a copy to watch again (and again).