Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) (PG)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Voices: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray
Daddy Says:
"They just don't make 'em like they used to." I say that a lot these days, probably a sign that I'm getting older. Most of the time, "they" don't make things like they used to because they've improved upon their methods, but sometimes I just find myself wishing for simpler times. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a movie that transports me back to those simpler times, when things were done the old-fashioned way: by hand.
Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a sly, fast-talking thief (chicken thief mostly). Out to impress his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep), they get caught in a trap, which is when he learns that they're about to start a family. Mr. Fox makes a promise that if they get out alive, he will give up his thieving ways and go legit. But after several years, it's a promise he finds hard to live up to, as the call of the wild becomes too much to bear.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an animated film, done using the old methods. For each frame, the miniatures of the characters are moved a fraction of an inch, then one frame of film is exposed and the process begins again. Since there are twenty-four of these frames for every second of time, you can see how this process can take a very long time to complete. I admire filmmakers with both the talent to create something from nothing, and the patience to see it through to the end.
But there's more to this movie than just great animation. The story is solid, the characters entertaining, and the voice work by the actors fits them perfectly. I enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox far more than I have most animated movies I've seen of late, and I recommend it to everyone looking for an entertaining experience, with or without kids.
Rating for Fantastic Mr. Fox: ****3/4
Directed by Wes Anderson
Voices: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray
Daddy Says:
"They just don't make 'em like they used to." I say that a lot these days, probably a sign that I'm getting older. Most of the time, "they" don't make things like they used to because they've improved upon their methods, but sometimes I just find myself wishing for simpler times. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a movie that transports me back to those simpler times, when things were done the old-fashioned way: by hand.
Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a sly, fast-talking thief (chicken thief mostly). Out to impress his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep), they get caught in a trap, which is when he learns that they're about to start a family. Mr. Fox makes a promise that if they get out alive, he will give up his thieving ways and go legit. But after several years, it's a promise he finds hard to live up to, as the call of the wild becomes too much to bear.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an animated film, done using the old methods. For each frame, the miniatures of the characters are moved a fraction of an inch, then one frame of film is exposed and the process begins again. Since there are twenty-four of these frames for every second of time, you can see how this process can take a very long time to complete. I admire filmmakers with both the talent to create something from nothing, and the patience to see it through to the end.
But there's more to this movie than just great animation. The story is solid, the characters entertaining, and the voice work by the actors fits them perfectly. I enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox far more than I have most animated movies I've seen of late, and I recommend it to everyone looking for an entertaining experience, with or without kids.
Rating for Fantastic Mr. Fox: ****3/4
Daughter Says:
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an interesting movie. The animation was...well... interesting. I don't know if I liked this movie or if I just don't want to ever see it again. I was freaked out by the animation and I just didn't know what to do.
The foxes were terrifying to me. They ate their food like savage beasts and some of the scenes were just bizarre. I just couldn't get into this movie. The actors were fine in Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the animation was just wrong. I kept using the phrase, "This isn't normal!" Maybe I'm just a very sensitive person.
The story line on the other hand was fine. I followed that pretty well. The basic man vs. instinct story. A wild fox gone pet isn't normal and soon the wild fox wants to go wild once more. Maybe that's why the characters ate so strangely and the occasional just odd scene. I didn't really enjoy this movie. But it is defiantly a one of the kind movie.
My Rating for Fantastic Mr. Fox is **1/2.
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