Eye Candy #46 - "The Fantastic Mr. Fox"

The Fantastic Mr. Fox: The latest offering from the always eclectic Wes Anderson, this is his first foray into the animated world for a full motion picture. It’s so nice to get more stop-motino animation in a film world offering great heaping gobs of CGI pap. Adapted from the children’s book of the same name by Roald Dahl, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) lives in a tree with his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep), his son Ash (Jason Schwartzmann), and nephew Kristofferson. He writes for the local newspaper and seems to have given up his earlier career of chicken and squab theft. However, he finds retirement doesn’t suit him and he and his opossum sidekick Kylie rob three nearby farms owned (respectively) by Boggis (known for his chickens), Bunce (known for his geese), and Bean (known for his cider; voiced by Michael Gambon). His daring thefts do no go unnoticed, so the three farmers band together to destroy Mr. Fox, his tree, his family, and his friends. But Mr. Fox has other plans. As one would expect from director Anderson, this is a very quirky, very funny movie, staffed by various Anderson alums (like Bill Murray as Badger), with a soundtrack comprised of rock classics (like the Beach Boys and the Bobby Fuller Four) and original compositions. Clooney is pitch perfect as Mr. Fox, a middle-aged schemer who does what he does because he’s a fox and that’s what foxes do. I’m sure that not all of the humor will be understood by children, but for adults, it’s good times. Woodchuck sez, “Check it out.”