With this movie, the word Orange comes to mind. I mean not that the movies is very citrus but the overall color is orange. There is something comforting about stop motion animation in a world of CGI. You begin to appreciate the effort that must have been put in the construction of each shot and scene.
Fantastic Mr.Fox is based on the book by the same name by the wonderful author of children’s books Roald Dahl. The story revolves around a mildly suburban fox his artistic wife and a son who bears a badge of oddity and is not very proud about it. The Fox pits his wits against a trio of farmers whose vast food supplies seem like a natural challenge to the protagonist. Mr. Fox is voiced by George Clooney and his wife by Meryl Streep who make the characters seem more human than animal. Wes Anderson’s inimitable style shines through the picture. Whether it be the orangeish tint to each frame, a preference of yellow lights, eccentricity bred into nearly every role or the wide angle shots which let you see houses and scenes in cross sections. If you have seen the Moonrise Kingdom or the Royal Tenanbaums you’d not find the three very different as far as the general style goes.
The movie has an impressive cast and if you listen hard enough you should be able to discern the voices of Michael Gambon, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe. Despite the lack of facial expressions in the movie you manage to get excited about stealing chickens, riled by the greedy farmers and feel the tension of the chase which makes up most of the movie. This picture balances wonderfully between fiction for children, entertainment for adults and wonderfully vivid scenes for appreciators of visual art.
There are a few moments where you feel that fantasy is at a high, Rats and Foxes of the same size, seems a little hard to digest. Over all this is a movie to watch when you are feeling nostalgic or in need of comfort. Its a nice tale with the goodness of a fable and the entertainment of a major motion picture. Best enjoyed with a sweet orange drink and a slightly salty meat sandwich and chips.
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PotSoup for the Soul 
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