Anderson's Mr. Fox

I finally got around to watching indie-auteur Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox last night. I must say that, while most of my friends were a good bit more enthusiastic about it, I really enjoyed it.

George Clooney is the voice of the titular fox pining for the life of crime he left behind to please his pregnant wife (Meryl Streep). His son, a hilarious Jason Schwartzman, is athletically inept and generally unpleasant, which his father only helps to encourage. When Clooney moves his family to luxurious new tree hole next to the three most feared farmers this side of the river, he immediately rises to the challenge by stealing a lot of of chickens and cider. Evil farmers quickly band together to kill the fox, soon trapping the whole, angry critter community deep underground without food or water.

The animation. It's wonderful. The real fur that was apparently a pain in the ass for animators really pays off. The world rendered is breathtaking and full of life. The performances are uniformly excellent. Jason Schwartzman has a particular way of elevating Anderson's (I imagine intentionally) on the nose dialogue to seriously moving heights. Roald Dahl's classic children's novel could not have asked for a better adaptation.

But about the style? The whole story is told through Anderson's trademark curt and witty dialogue, and meticulously choreographed tracking shots. It is here that my praise slows down a bit. As enjoyable as this film is, it's still very much a Wes Anderson film made in the same way as all his others. Prior to Fox, I admit, I was beginning to slip off the Wes wagon. I found Darjeeling Limited to be a sorry rehash of all of Anderson's common themes placed into an exotic location. I'm now not so worried about his future films. The animation and source material add a much needed spark. I like that the daddy issues are dialed back in favor of the greater story here. But in the end, there aren't many deviations from his past films. I can't see anybody who disliked Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums finding anything new to enjoy in Fantastic Mr. Fox.