Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Great Cheese Robbery Anderson-style. So nothing for kids. In his fox guise Clooney is maybe even more charismatic than usual, Dafoe’s part is one of the unforgettable ones, plus Desplat à la Morricone, not cheaply stealing from him (not like many others), but developing on him fantastically. And in fact this entire movie is a fantastic celebration of fox, uh sorry, human fantasy and playfulness. (04/02/2010)

Stop-motion puppet animation is always something that must be appreciated, especially if it has a meaningful story, which in this case it does, even though Roald Dahl's source material is definitely not ordinary. Perhaps it's not a film that's explosively funny, but it's a film that maintains Anderson's peculiar poetics. I enjoyed it. (09/12/2016)

For me, it’s one of the greatest animated films of all time. I completely agree that Wes Anderson's work isn’t for everyone, but those who enjoy his style must be overjoyed (I’m in the latter group). The animation itself has its charm—simple, yet immensely purposeful and, importantly, original, which is rare these days. Then there’s the absurdity of the story, which is what makes this film a cult classic. The main character, Mr. Fox, lives in an animal community that is the antithesis of human life, although it bears many similarities to human society (then suddenly there’s a scene where Mr. Fox and Badger start growling and baring their teeth, and the fun begins). The screenplay is precise, and the film offers plenty of entertainment (such as the scenes with Beagly and the blueberries), but it also touches on serious themes, with Anderson showing various lessons derived from the behavior of the main characters. It’s hard to talk about this film if you haven’t seen it... However, I can recommend this quirky film with a completely clear conscience. I give it 88%. P.S. It’s an animated film, but I wouldn’t show it to very young children. Not because of any violence or such, but because they might not understand everything. It’s not just a mindless afternoon watch; it requires some thought. (08/08/2020)

Another way of looking at it is that Wes Anderson did not bend his back to the genre, but instead the genre bent its back to Wes Anderson. A typical affair with flashy retro dramaturgy, a sly monotonous pace, an imaginative camera and content on the edge between a fairy tale and the philosophy of life over a morning bowl of cornflakes. If not for the middle, wherein the attempt at a psychological analysis of cute puppets goes a little beyond the real possibilities of Anderson's film, it is a flawless affair - old-fashioned, imaginative, waywardly...a film destined not to succeed commercially, but to be infinitely loved. Bravo, Wes! (28/03/2010)

I was really looking forward to another great animated movie, but what I got was a huge and ambitious disappointment. The story overall is interesting and original, but the director didn't quite pull it off in my opinion. It doesn’t have enough pace, the oddly conceived animation didn't appeal to me at all, and I found the drawn-out dialogue desperately angsty and unfunny, with the main characters sometimes solving problems trying to be as close to humans as possible. I really hate to slag films like this, but in this case, unfortunately, after the first viewing, I have no other choice. (17/07/2011)