As part of my flight to Boston in preparation for our camp, American Airlines had this movie as an option for in-flight entertainment. Given its placement on my watchlist, I figured I would be opportunistic. What do I think?To start with, this film is written in a way that puts it at the middle ground between children's and adult's animation. It adapts Dahl's children's novel into something a tad more heavy-hearted. I won't talk about the story too much since it succeeded in adapting the novel, but its additions (such as the capture of Kristofferson) are written in a way that actually work out in its favor. Our characters benefit from this too, with the combination of familiarity from the novel and somewhat modern twists to their personality (such as Kristofferson's flair for meditation). It actually seems that both our protagonists and antagonists can be sympathized with; out of mere nature, the former want their food and the latter want to keep them away. While the Foxes can be summed up as the usual family of 3, I enjoyed Rat's threatening demeanor, Petey's music, and Kylie's comic stare. What really strengthens the characters, however, is the believable and spot-on voice acting. It fits both the cartoonish influence of Dahl's novel for some characters and the different aim of this movie for others. The stop motion environments feel like they are very comparable to Aardman's work, with the detail on the fields and locations, the unique character models. Like Kubo and the Two Strings, the animation possesses surprising fluidity in the movements of both characters and objects, which is wonderful for its assortment of action/peril scenes.This isn't really a "children's" movie as much as it is a family movie. Children will enjoy the cute animals and the similarities to Dahl's work, while adults will enjoy the action, humor, and less light-hearted tone. It's worth 87 minutes of anyone's time, really, and I'll be cussed if anyone didn't end up having a good thing to say about it. OK, maybe once was enough...

Quirky, funny, style reminiscent of a beautifully pictured fairytale, but sometimes those animal eyes were a bit unsettling.

I am finishing up reviewing every Wes Anderson film and this is one of the easiest 10/10 ratings I ever had to give.Fantastic Mr. Fox is a perfect example of Wes Anderson's fun loving, darkly comedic style. This film is a beauty to look at, each character and setting is beautifully lit and presented in a perfect frame. It really goes along with the source material that Roald Dahl created years ago.The comedy which is something that Wes Anderson excels at it at top notch, I laugh at every single joke, whether it be supported by the quick whip pans or smash zooms or just great delivery of dialogue, I am on the floor laughing. The acting is also a great element in this film, George Clooney and Meryl Streep shine as the Fox mother and father, you feel they are real, even though it is an animation.Speaking of Animation, this films stop motion is revolutionary. It is perfect, it also is the perfect kind of medium for Wes Anderson's tightly constructed atheistic. The movements are funny and alive, and the way they create these worlds feel large but, also comfy and homey.All these things are great but, what stands out is Wes Anderson's ability to bring heart and a message into the film. It talks about growing up, making your family proud, and trying to find your own way. The film will touch everyone from age 1 to 100.An amazing masterpiece 10/10 and 5/5.

'The Fantastic Mr. Fox' takes Wes Anderson's quirky directing style and applies it to animation. All the classic Anderson elements are there (relentless symmetry, wide shots with tiny elements of motion, laconic dialogue punctuated with pauses, etc), but in this case, all is acted out by stop-action, animal models. The result is a great animated 'action' film – a little dark at times (as befits a Roald Dahl story), but otherwise enjoyable by all ages. Marquee voice talent adds a lot to the wandering story of a fox (and father) dealing with his family and friends, and the disastrous consequences of his compulsion to steal from the local cabal of farmers. Much of the fun is in the details, so watch closely. The music (especially the children's chant motif) and the visualisation of the most 'psychotic' of the three nasty farmers adds a lot to the pleasingly grim-lite mood of the film.