QUIRKY indie director Wes Anderson turns his hand to animation this week in the stop-motion adventure Fantastic Mr Fox.
When Mr Fox (George Clooney) breaks a promise to his wife and returns to his old stealing ways, he soon discovers he has poached from the wrong farmers.
After swiping birds and cider from the farms of the notorious Bean, Boggis and Bunce, they take their revenge on the sly thief by vowing to track him down and kill him.
But their determined hunting soon puts all the local animals in jeapordy.
Can Mr Fox best the mean farmers, or will he end up out-foxed?
Sardonic & Grizzly
When American directors attempt to tackle the off-beat work of Britain’s beloved Roald Dahl, the results are often questionable.
For every bookworm pleasing Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, there is the Hollywood-ised Matilda.
Fantastic Mr Fox may not adhere strictly to the original page, but Anderson clearly shows total respect to the source material; soaking up the sardonic and grizzly tone of Dahl and throwing it all over the screen.
Ensemble
Fears of the all-American cast lending their vocal talents to the assortment of animals are laid to rest from the outset.
Clooney brings his trademarked enigmatic dulcet tone to the title character perfectly, with Meryl Streep serving excellent back-up duties as the ‘voice of reason’ in the form of his wife.
But no one actor stands out, with Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman bringing as much as the brief appearance by Jarvis Cocker.
Like most of Anderson’s previous work, it is an ensemble cast in its truest form with the story being the star of the show.
The real charm of the film lies in the stop-motion animation style.
Choosing to shun lush and smooth CG in favour of choppy movements and minute imperfections, it perfectly fits with the director’s visual aesthetic.
Fantastic Mr Fox is an animated movie for the indie-film goer, complete with dynamic dialogue and a Rolling Stones featured soundtrack.
Although a children’s book, the verbose script will undoubtedly fly far over the head of younger audiences (especially during Mr Fox’s musings over existentialism).
But with enough visual gags to keep interest, this generation-crossing story is sure to entertain.
8/10 - A charming tail.