Fantastic Mr. Fox in review

Wes Anderson knows who he is. That's more than can be said for many filmmakers. Over the past 15 years, Anderson has established himself as a director with an exceptionally distinct style, not only with his meticulous attention to detail, but with an assortment of signature elements. With Fantastic Mr. Fox, the auteur both embraces and divorces his trademarks.

This is the first time that Anderson has adapted another writer's work. The beloved Roald Dahl book tells the story of a fox, voiced by George Clooney in the film, who steals food from three farmers. The farmers proceed go to extravagant lengths to eradicate the thief, leveling the hill that Mr. Fox and his family call home before laying siege to the entire forest. The Fox family and their animal compatriots must fight back or starve to death. This is a departure from Anderson's typical fare of dysfunctional family journeys, but his trademark dry humor matches well with Dahl's classic British comedy. The original story is widely embellished, most notably to include the characters of Kylie, Mr. Fox's opossum building superintendent (Wallace Wolodarsky); Ash, Mr. and Mrs. Fox's son (Jason Schwartzman); and Kristofferson, Ash's visiting cousin (Anderson's brother Eric). The differences between the naturally athletic Kristofferson and the socially awkward Ash provide one of the storyline's subplots. The additional characters supplement the original story to great effect.

Unlike Anderson's previous work, Fantastic Mr. Fox was filmed using stop-motion animation, a fitting vehicle for his stylistic precision. The hand-made puppets appear to move with remarkable fluidity, yet maintain a D.I.Y. aesthetic. Sets and costumes show the amount of time and effort required to make this film. True to form, Anderson features an oddly-dressed underdog hero, in this case the cape-wearing Ash. The director's stamp is also seen in Bill Murray's role as a badger lawyer, extensive smoking, the use of bright colors, and symmetrical shots; however, it is Meryl Streep that takes on the mother role, rather than usual choice Anjelica Huston. This time around, Anderson's 60s band of choice is the Beach Boys. California surf rock may clash with the English countryside, but the sunny songs reflect the joie de vivre of being a wild animal. In contrast, a schoolyard chant about the malevolent farmers is eerily repeated during points of tension. Ex-Britpopper Jarvis Cocker, whose last film work was for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, provided the bizarre original "Petey's Song." Other vocal cameos include Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Mario Batali.

While Anderson's previous work had been veering towards self-indulgence (see: slow-motion running sequence set to the Kinks' "Powerman" in The Darjeeling Limited), Fantastic Mr. Fox is a return to the refreshing charm of The Royal Tenenbaums.