Fantastic Mr. Fox really is fantastic

“Fantastic Mr. Fox”

DIRECTED BY: Wes Anderson

STARRING: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman.

RATED: PG

SHOWING: Area Theaters

Critics tend to use a lot of fun little words to wrap their minds around Wes Anderson — quirky, oddball, hipster — but don’t get it twisted; his eccentricity isn't the primary reason that he's one of the most engaging filmmakers of the 21st century. Certainly his knack for visual flair, unabashed love of rock ‘n’ roll classics and esoteric dialogue has endeared him to more than a few, but it’s his skill with characterization and familial interplay that have established Anderson as a master craftsman. Though his latest, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” is marketed as a children’s film, Anderson saturates the world of his characters with enough comedy, intelligence and existential melancholia to appeal to moviegoers of all ages and persuasions.

Anderson’s version of the Roald Dahl tale begins with the titular character (George Clooney) and his wife (Meryl Streep) discussing their future after being trapped during a chicken coop raid. Mrs. Fox tells her husband that she’s pregnant and, if they somehow escape their cage, he must give up his thievery.

We meet up with the pair two years later (12 fox years) and learn that Mr. Fox has become a columnist for the newspaper, Mrs. Fox is a painter and the two play parent to an awkward cub named Ash (Jason Schwartzman). For one brief moment, their domesticity seems sunny, tranquil, Rockwellian; but Mr. Fox has an itch to steal some chickens that he can’t help but scratch.

He may be a fox, but the protagonist’s urges are less animalistic than they appear. Anderson brings his signature brand of existential funk to Mr. Fox, imbuing the all-too-familiar humanity of someone experiencing a midlife crisis — but there’s a decidedly different tone from his past films. From the Tenenbaum family to Steve Zissou, Anderson’s characters have always wanted to be fantastic — and perhaps, for a time, they were — but at some point they were crippled by the actions of others and by their own inadequacies. Mr. Fox is different; he senses his own unhappiness and resolves to do something about it, earning his superlative title.

Anderson’s thematic attention hasn’t changed and neither has his visual style. As always, his direction provides some breathtaking shots – a result of sublime framing, perfectly coordinated layouts, and a neurotic’s attention to detail. The only difference this time around is that “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is an animated feature.

Thankfully, Anderson shunned the overbearing and conventional use of CGI and instead created his intricate world in a stop-motion tradition that breeds both nostalgia and beauty. The result is his most visually dazzling film yet.

Rounding out this all-around impressive film is a star-studded cast featuring both Anderson regulars and a few new players. George Clooney’s performance is as fantastic as the fox he plays; he’s funny, insecure, triumphant and, it has to be said, kind of sexy. Meryl Streep is equally impressive as his female counterpart, solidifying Anderson’s recurring statement that there’s always a great vixen behind a great fox. Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray also deserve their props for providing expert somberness and hilarity, but the most surprising performance comes from Wes’s brother Eric Chase Anderson. He’s understated as Mr. Fox’s hyper-adept nephew Kristofferson, playing into Wes’s vision with charm and a subtle grace.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” shows Wes Anderson returning to peak form. While some fans may have felt let down by “The Darjeeling Limited,” there is no doubt that this latest effort will be received with high praise.

4.5/5 Stars