Without sounding like a complete wanker, some films have a magical quality. They manage to straddle that line between an “adults” film and a “kids” film and fill the grown-up viewer with childlike glee. The last film I saw with this infectious element was Disney Pixar’s
Up. It’s a pleasure to discover that
Wes Anderson’s reimagining of the Roald Dahl classic
Fantastic Mr Fox has a similar jubilant quality.
Anderson's film tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Fox. They live a relatively normal life with their 12-year-old son Ash (who is fantastically “different” - he likes to spit on the floor and wear a cape to school). Shortly after their nephew Kristofferson arrives for a visit, Mr. Fox's long-suppressed animal instincts begin to take over and the faithful family man resorts back to his old ways as a cunning chicken thief, endangering not only his family but the entire animal community as well.
When evil farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean force the animals underground in a desperate attempt to capture Mr. Fox, dwindling food supplies force the frightened animals to band together in one last attempt to save their homes.
I must admit, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this film. I haven’t been crazy about Wes Anderson’s work in the past. Sure, films like
Life Aquatic,
The Royal Tenenbaums and
The Darjeeling Limited had a certain appeal in their left-of-centre style, but I just didn’t go bonkers over them like everyone else did. I felt like it was a bit of a hipster joke that I didn’t fully comprehend.
I think the reason that I like this particular film is that it has all the Wes Anderson qualities that I enjoy and none of the self-indulgence that irritates me. The world he has created within the film is colourful and quaint and the characters are beautifully crafted; there’s the awkward 12-year-old son Ash, Bill Murray's straight-talking badger attorney, the yoga-practicing over-achieving cousin Kristofferson and a possum side-kick who vagues out whenever anyone is talking to him.
Then there’s the zingy dialogue. The film is littered with brilliantly dry quips delivered in a completely understated fashion. George Clooney (Mr Fox), Jason Schwartzman (Ash) and Bill Murray (Badger) seem to have particular fun bouncing Anderson’s comedic pearls off one another. (Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe also do a great job with their characters). Apparently Anderson took the cast outside, underground and indoors to record the different parts of the film which gives the dialogue an authentic, unpolished quality that works exceptionally well.
It’s also stunning visually. A short while back the film was plagued with rumours of
unrest amongst the production team due to Anderson’s unorthodox directing technique and the amount of time the film was taking to produce. But goodness, the long production schedule paid off. Anderson has utilised a mixture of animation techniques, but has relied primarily on stop-motion. The models the artists have created are truly brilliant – they have a hand-made quality to them that is wonderfully appealing - and the animation has been meticulously executed.
The visuals are complemented by a rollicking soundtrack courtesy of
Alexandre Desplat. Interspersed among his toe-tapping tunes are familiar tracks from the Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and some original songs by Jarvis Cocker (who also voices the banjo-playing character Petey in the film). It’s an eclectic mix that works perfectly.
Die-hard Roald Dahl fans may be a bit miffed that Anderson has taken some liberties with their much-loved story. In the most part he’s been faithful, though he’s added extra content at the beginning and end and has expanded it with a few ‘grown-up’ themes; there’s the issue of broken promises in a marriage, a teenage son who desperately yearns for his father’s approval and a male being faced with family responsibilities while yearning for the excitement of his youth. While these themes are present, they are dealt with subtly - they never overtake the light-hearted nature of the film and threaten to slow it down. The balance is just right.
Roald Dahl’s tale seems to be the perfect vehicle for Wes Anderson’s wild and quirky imagination. Adapting a pre-existing story might be just what the doctor ordered – Anderson has been able to inject his own style and humour to the tale without getting completely carried away and teetering on the brink of incoherence and self indulgence.
It’s a credit to him that he has made such an utterly likable film. To get your audience to feel an immediate affinity with the characters and the world you’ve created is no mean feat. As A. O Scott for the
New York Times put it:
“There are some children — some people — who will embrace [Fantastic Mr. Fox] with a special, strange intensity, as if it had been made for them alone."
And that's it, right there. That quality that makes this films so "magical" and fantastic. Just as children feel ownership of certain picture books and stories, this film illicits a similar affinity.
Try to go and see it on the big screen if you can. And hopefully you’ll fall a little bit in love with it too.
Fantastic Mr Fox opens in cinemas on January 7, 2010.
You can view the Fantastic Mr Fox movie trailer here on TheVine.