The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)

[Dukefrukem]

It's stop-go animation. Looks wonderful.

in theaters on November 13

first images here (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=57199)

[Sycophant]

Still don't believe this movie's really happening.

[baby doll]

I love Wes Anderson movies so much, I want to take them behind the middle school and get them pregnant.

[Duncan]

Looks neat. I had no idea it was animated.

[Ivan Drago]

I wonder whose discography he'll use in Portuguese this go around.

[Sycophant]

I wonder whose discography he'll use in Portuguese this go around.

Y'know, if you're gonna pick at Wes Anderson for something, you could at least pick something recurring.

[Sven]

Y'know, if you're gonna pick at Wes Anderson for something, you could at least pick something recurring.

Such as *ahem*... I wonder what Kinks song is going to be played over the credits. Perhaps "Animal Farm"?

[Sycophant]

Such as *ahem*... I wonder what Kinks song is going to be played over the credits. Perhaps "Animal Farm"?

Does it have a catchy hook that'll play well over the main characters moving in slow motion at the end?

See, this fits.

[Sven]

Does it have a catchy hook that'll play well over the main characters moving in slow motion at the end?

It could definitely work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJR5aPzucc

[Cult]

Does it have a catchy hook that'll play well over the main characters moving in slow motion at the end?

Slow motion with this animation style, and the way those foxes look, would actually be really scary. :eek:

[Sycophant]

It could definitely work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJR5aPzucc

Oh, it will definitely work.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Looks very cool. I think Wes has lost his way a little bit, so maybe a formal departure is what he needs to get back in the swing of things.

[transmogrifier]

Looks very cool. I think Wes has lost his way a little bit, so maybe a formal departure is what he needs to get back in the swing of things.

Eh, his last film is the second-best one he's yet made, so he's doing fine.

[baby doll]

Speaking of W.A., am I the only one who vastly prefers The Darjeeling Limited to Slumdog Millionaire? Apart from being more visually interesting and not deeply unpleasant to watch, it admits to its outsider status instead of pretending to show us "the real India."

[transmogrifier]

Speaking of W.A., am I the only one who vastly prefers The Darjeeling Limited to Slumdog Millionaire? Apart from being more visually interesting and not deeply unpleasant to watch, it admits to its outsider status instead of pretending to show us "the real India."

Um, I suspect there are very few people who DON'T share similar views.

[Qrazy]

Eh, his last film is the second-best one he's yet made, so he's doing fine.

Second worst.

[Qrazy]

Speaking of W.A., am I the only one who vastly prefers The Darjeeling Limited to Slumdog Millionaire? Apart from being more visually interesting and not deeply unpleasant to watch, it admits to its outsider status instead of pretending to show us "the real India."

I prefer it but I'm not a fan of either.

[transmogrifier]

Second worst.

Stop oppressing me with your suffocating wrongness. I want to breathe. I need to live.

[baby doll]

I prefer it but I'm not a fan of either.What didn't you like about it (Anderson's, I mean)?

[Qrazy]

Stop oppressing me with your suffocating wrongness. I want to breathe. I need to live.

Drink from the well of truth.

[Qrazy]

What didn't you like about it (Anderson's, I mean)?

I find his style has become redundant and hollow. Scenes which ought to convey genuine emotion are crippled by stylistic excess (death of the young boy, slow-mo funeral). I find his forced whimsy, and dry humor at this point convey a superficiality which permeates the entire film.

[B-side]

I still haven't seen Bottle Rocket, but I thought Darjeeling Limited was the worst I've seen from him. I didn't dislike it, though.

[Qrazy]

I still haven't seen Bottle Rocket, but I thought Darjeeling Limited was the worst I've seen from him. I didn't dislike it, though.

Yeah to clarify I didn't dislike it either, I just thought it was fairly weak.

[B-side]

Yeah to clarify I didn't dislike it either, I just thought it was fairly weak.

I remember thinking the romance between Schwarzman's character and the Indian chick was pretty cute. She was hot, too.

[Qrazy]

I remember thinking the romance between Schwarzman's character and the Indian chick was pretty cute. She was hot, too.

I dunno about cute, he just randomly banged her in the back of the train. There was some fall out but meh.

[B-side]

I dunno about cute, he just randomly banged her in the back of the train. There was some fall out but meh.

I don't know. Maybe I'm a sucker for inter-racial relationships being played normally instead of for kicks.

[Qrazy]

I don't know. Maybe I'm a sucker for inter-racial relationships being played normally instead of for kicks.

I don't follow.

[B-side]

I don't follow.

I mean, the relationship between them, however short, felt natural. It wasn't the forced joining of two wildly different cultures for the sake of making someone seem more liberal, nor was it the subject of any running jokes pointing out their differences. It just was.

[Grouchy]

I mean, the relationship between them, however short, felt natural. It wasn't the forced joining of two wildly different cultures for the sake of making someone seem more liberal, nor was it the subject of any running jokes pointing out their differences. It just was.
This is true. I mean, she wanted to have sex with him just because he wasn't Indian. He wanted to have sex with her because she was a hot woman.

Back-packing foreigners have it made. I should know.

[Ezee E]

Darjeeling was pretty awful. The short of Portman/Schwartzman was pretty good though.

Wes Anderson has become a director that I care little about really. This movie sounds interesting though, and since its entirely animation, I'll be pretty curious about what he does with it.

[Grouchy]

Darjeeling was pretty awful. The short of Portman/Schwartzman was pretty good though.
True, the short was better and less boring than the movie. If it wasn't for the Portman factor I might have enjoyed it even more.

[Qrazy]

I mean, the relationship between them, however short, felt natural. It wasn't the forced joining of two wildly different cultures for the sake of making someone seem more liberal, nor was it the subject of any running jokes pointing out their differences. It just was.

I guess I don't watch that many movies where this happens so when it doesn't I'm not all that enthused.

[number8]

Never did see Darjeeling, but that short was terrible.

[Sven]

Never did see Darjeeling, but that short was terrible.

Yeah, E's got it backwards. The short is a bit better after you see the movie, though.

[trotchky]

I think this movie will be great.

[Ivan Drago]

I think this movie will be great.

I think you've done enough drugs for one night.

[MacGuffin]

Uh, wow... (http://www.fantasticmrfoxmovie.com/)

[Sycophant]

Oh my goodness. I just became so damned pumped for this.

IS THAT FUTURA BOLD I SEE?!

[MacGuffin]

IS THAT FUTURA BOLD I SEE?!

It looks more like some sort of Comic San. That picture of them in suits is amazing.

[Pop Trash]

This is still goin' to be the fuckin' Royal Tennenbaums but with foxes. I call it now. Just like Life Aquatic was RT with a boat and Darjeeling Limited was RT in India. Yawn.

[MacGuffin]

Pop Trash: Making inane and overly simplistic movie comparisons since March 2008!

[trotchky]

Pop Trash: Making inane and overly simplistic movie comparisons since March 2008!

Pretty much, yeah.

[Pop Trash]

Pop Trash: Making inane and overly simplistic movie comparisons since March 2008!
Clipper Ship Captain: Snuggling with Wes Anderson's pompous tweed jacket since he saw Rushmore on video when he was ten!

[B-side]

This is gonna be good.

[Henry Gale]

Woah. Those stills are pretty incredible, but now I'm pretty confused (though mostly delighted), because for whatever reason I was under the impression that this was being done with CG.

The first two stills that were released looked like they could go either way and didn't particularly excite me, but everything here absolutely got me. I adore stop-motion and just watched a ton of the featurettes on the Coraline Blu-Ray last night and thought to myself how amazing it would be if we got more films than we do with this technique, and what do you know... There's definitely going to be five Animated Feature slots for this year's Oscars right? Because there's definitely more than 11 major releases set to be out by December and I can see this one being up there with Coraline, Up and Ponyo if it's as good as I hope.

[MacGuffin]

Clipper Ship Captain: Snuggling with Wes Anderson's pompous tweed jacket since he saw Rushmore on video when he was ten!

Actually, I really only consider Rushmore to be a classic. It would probably make my top 25. I used to love The Royal Tenenbaums, but these days (pun), the music selections bother me a little bit. I also just watched The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou a while back, and loved it a lot more than I remember. Thanks to Bill Murray's performance, I found Zissou to be a deeply nuanced character and the relationship between him and Owen Wilson's character was emotionally resonant. As for Bottle Rocket, I haven't seen the original short film Wes Anderson made, but the feature-length version is good, if not great. That said, I find it to be more amateurish than his other movies, as it's clear he's really just experimenting with character (although, the scene where they are preparing to rob the book store is hilarious). The Darjeeling Limited is probably about on the same level as Bottle Rocket, but I do find it to be less emotionally resonant than, say, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. I find that a lot of the humor falls flat and so the characters aren't as well-realized because they lack as much personality as those of his other movies, but there are still some moments that made me smile (Bill Murray as the Businessman at the beginning, the train going off the tracks). I also really liked the use of Play With Fire in that movie. As for Hotel Chevalier, it's okay, but really nothing special. Natalie Portman, I figure, is probably one of the worst, least charismatic actresses working today, so that probably takes off at least a quarter of the rating right there. But luckily, the use of music is pretty good (and the product placement strikes me as more of a self-reflexive joke than anything else) and the last pan out to the hotel patio is pretty great.

[Pop Trash]

I dunno brah, I found Natalie Portman's perfectly sculpted and aesthetically and formally pleasing ass to be more memorable than all of The Darjeeling Limited.

[MacGuffin]

Ratings, ranked:

1. Rushmore ****
2. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou ****
3. The Royal Tenenbaums ****
4. Bottle Rocket **½
5. The Darjeeling Limited **½
6. Hotel Chevalier **

So yeah, I guess I am a pretty big fan of his work, but that's not exactly rare.

[Amnesiac]

I dunno brah, I found Natalie Portman's perfectly sculpted and aesthetic and formally pleasing ass to be more memorable than all of The Darjeeling Limited.

Just curious, did you mean to say 'aesthetically' or are you saying she has an aesthetic ass?

[Pop Trash]

Just curious, did you mean to say 'aesthetically' or are you saying she has an aesthetic ass?
Fixed that, but I guess her ass could be aesthetic.

[Milky Joe]

Natalie Portman's ass can be anything it wants to be.

[Sven]

Neato burrito!

[Ezee E]

Not really much of an ass.

[Henry Gale]

Trailer. (http://movies.yahoo.com/premieres/14824491/standardformat)

The footage itself looks pretty great, but the trailer looks like it's trying way to hard to market to the mainstream. I really think this could have benefited from a Where The Wild Things Are-type promotion where watching the footage you can tell right up front if you want to see it or not (let alone with your kids). Here they tried to make Fox look like Over The Hedge or something, and I really think that if they don't start slapping Wes Anderson's name on the trailers that both sides may skip this.

[Milky Joe]

The movie looks good, but yeah that is a terrible trailer, complete with insufferable movie-guy-voiceover. And why the hell wouldn't they put Anderson's name on the trailer? Terrible, just terrible marketing.

[DavidSeven]

I don't know. The character designs lack personality. That's usually a death nail for an animated feature. Looks pretty bland. I think this tanks.

[origami_mustache]

I don't see how it's terrible marketing. Wes Anderson's fan base alone isn't going to make this film any money...it's all about the kids and anyone who likes Wes Anderson has already been anticipating this.

[ledfloyd]

i'm not much of a wes fan but i think it looks great. i like the style of the animation.

[Sven]

Hmmm... it's about 50/50, I think. I agree that the characters look lifeless. The eyes are stiff. Clooney's voice is all wrong. Some of Anderson's whim is attempted and does not really work. Still, context is everything, and the colors, design (characters aside), and animation style are all very attractive.

[Grouchy]

"This summer... FORGET SUPER! FORGET INCREDIBLE! IT'S ALL ABOUT FANTASTIC!".

Retarded trailer guy.

Looks good to me.

[megladon8]

Is it animated to look like actors wearing suits?

Neat concept. Not sure how well implemented it is, though.

[number8]

Okay, I laughed.

"Badger!"
"Demolition expert."
"What?! Since when?"

[B-side]

Did not like the trailer. Very disappointing.

[number8]

The tables have turned, bitches. As a Wes Anderson hater, now I shall be the one anticipating this movie.

[Bosco B Thug]

I don't know. The character designs lack personality. That's usually a death nail for an animated feature. Looks pretty bland. I think this tanks. It'll tank, but it'll be pretty good. It seems to have a smart script and smart concepts behind it, but I think people only'll spend theater money for this intentionally "low quality," artificial type of animation when it's vulgar adult comedy animation like South Park. When it's a "children's animated film," people really do just want Disney.

[Qrazy]

Meh.

[Boner M]

This looks delightful!

[BuffaloWilder]

I like the look of that there wife character. I'l say it.

[B-side]

I agree that the characters look lifeless. The eyes are stiff. Clooney's voice is all wrong. Some of Anderson's whim is attempted and does not really work.

This. Very much this.

[Ivan Drago]

The tables have turned, bitches. As a Wes Anderson hater, now I shall be the one anticipating this movie.

It's not just me and BuffaloWilder? :pritch:

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hm. I'm very disappointed. I agree that Clooney's voice seems wrong. In fact, nothing in that trailer felt very "right". What a bummer. Here's hoping the movie is more polished, and that I'm totally wrong with my initial reaction.

[Raiders]

Hm, I'll be different and say I loved the animation, Clooney's voice and just about everything in that trailer.

Then again, I'm the opposite of a Wes Anderson hater.

[ledfloyd]

The tables have turned, bitches. As a Wes Anderson hater, now I shall be the one anticipating this movie.
yeah, i feel the same way.

[Ivan Drago]

There's definitely going to be five Animated Feature slots for this year's Oscars right?

If so, they picked a good year to do that.

This, Monsters vs. Aliens, Up, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, Ponyo...it's been (and will be) a big year for animation.

What's to look forward to next year? Rapunzel, Toy Story 3, Shrek 4....and The Smurfs.

[Winston*]

If so, they picked a good year to do that.

This, Monsters vs. Aliens, Up, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, Ponyo...it's been (and will be) a big year for animation.

What's to look forward to next year? Rapunzel, Toy Story 3, Shrek 4....and The Smurfs.
http://thecia.com.au/reviews/m/images/mary-and-max-poster-0.jpg

[BuffaloWilder]

I like the look of that there wife character. I'l say it.


I stand by this.

[Ivan Drago]

Winston - IMDB says that's coming out in 2009. Either way the premise and voice cast interest me.

[transmogrifier]

D'Angelo liked it. Says it is basically your typical Wes film, just animated. And that the trailer is not really indicative of the overall movie.

[MadMan]

I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, and I have yet to see a movie of his in theaters. So I'll be going to this one. I've finally seen the trailer, and I think it looks good although some of the humor elements felt a bit flat. Still with the talent involved and the fact that I trust Anderson, I'm sold.

Which reminds me that I should finally get around to watching The Darjeeling Limited.

[BuffaloWilder]

So, between this and Avatar, it seems the film market is saturated with furry.

I still like the look of that there wife character.

[Morris Schæffer]

trailer:

http://www.davestrailerpage.co.uk/

Scroll down a wee bit for a cavalcade of formats.

[balmakboor]

I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan, and I have yet to see a movie of his in theaters. So I'll be going to this one. I've finally seen the trailer, and I think it looks good although some of the humor elements felt a bit flat. Still with the talent involved and the fact that I trust Anderson, I'm sold.

Which reminds me that I should finally get around to watching The Darjeeling Limited.

I've always been lukewarm on Wes Anderson, but Darjeeling is by far my favorite. And I thought the Mr. Fox trailer looked terrific.

[Spun Lepton]

Unimpressed by the trailer. The animation looks choppier than Robot Chicken, which is saying something. Character designs seemed pretty bland and lifeless. Unless the story is something special, I doubt I'll see this.

[number8]

What the fuck?

Empire has an interview with the cinematographer Tristan Oliver, who apparently isn't too pleased with Wes Anderson. He also revealed that Anderson was rarely on set, and directed via email after looking at the dailies.


I think Wes doesn’t understand what you can do, and he often wants us to do what you can’t do, and the length of time the process takes … I don’t think he quite comprehends that, and how difficult it is to change something once you’ve started. It takes a big amount of someone’s time to change a very small thing. I think he also doesn’t understand that an animator is a performer. An animator is an actor. And this is the secret to animation: you direct your animator, you do not direct the puppet, because the puppet is an inanimate object. You direct an animator as if you’re directing an actor, and they will give you a performance. So we’ll get a note back from Wes saying “that arm movement is wrong.” But that arm movement is part of a fluid performance. And that has been really quite difficult for the animators.

[Spun Lepton]

What the fuck?

Empire has an interview with the cinematographer Tristan Oliver, who apparently isn't too pleased with Wes Anderson. He also revealed that Anderson was rarely on set, and directed via email after looking at the dailies.

Did Wes bite off more than he could chew?

[number8]

Apparently his idea of directing animation was sending the animators DVDs of what he thinks the movie should look like.

[Duncan]

What the fuck?

Empire has an interview with the cinematographer Tristan Oliver, who apparently isn't too pleased with Wes Anderson. He also revealed that Anderson was rarely on set, and directed via email after looking at the dailies.

Do you have a link?

[number8]

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/09/did_wes_anderson_direct_the_fa .html

[ledfloyd]

What the fuck?

Empire has an interview with the cinematographer Tristan Oliver, who apparently isn't too pleased with Wes Anderson. He also revealed that Anderson was rarely on set, and directed via email after looking at the dailies.
maybe that's why this one actually looks good!

[Grouchy]

Regardless of the probable truth of those statements, that's quite an ugly thing to say about a director and a movie that's just about to be released. I wonder if studios don't put that kind of shit in contracts - is it possible for DPs or other crew heads to badmouth the movies they work in?

And yeah, not everyone understands or is able to direct animation, no matter how skilled they are at live-action film.

[Sycophant]

Yeah, while it sounds like the DP's gripes could well be legitimate, it does seem pretty bad form to give an interview like that, especially prerelease.

[megladon8]

I think this movie looks kind of terrible.

[number8]

It sounds like Tristan Oliver had to do most of the directing and was irritated that it's being billed as a Wes Anderson film. This has actually gotten me excited, since he's a longtime aadvark guy who DPed Chicken Run and a bunch of Wallace & Gromit. I sure as hell trust him way more than Anderson.

[B-side]

New trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/fantasticmrfox/).

I think I'm slowly becoming excited for this.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That trailer was much, much better than the first.

[Thirdmango]

It must be my low blood pressure but every time I try and watch the trailers, the animation makes me physically ill. I don't think I'll be able to watch this one.

[Watashi]

Yeah, that new trailer is pretty amazing.

Holy balls, this and Where the Wild Things Are just a month apart?

[megladon8]

Jeez, even Henry Selick is saying some pretty unflattering things about Wes Anderson's work ethic on this film.

[Winston*]

Jeez, even Henry Selick is saying some pretty unflattering things about Wes Anderson's work ethic on this film.

link?

[megladon8]

link?


IMDb main page had a trivia fact up today that said Selick claimed Anderson's way of directing the film was using his iPhone to record himself acting out scenes, then e-mailed them to the animators.

Apparently he was also in France at the time.

[number8]

It explains why this movie looks so good. Wes Anderson was far away from the set.

[megladon8]

It explains why this movie looks so good. Wes Anderson was far away from the set.


The Royal Tenenbaums > Battle Royale.

Yeah, I went there. It's on.

[number8]

Stating a fallacy does not make something "on."

It's like someone came up to me and said, "The garbage truck comes every Sunday nights," when I already know for a fact that it picks up my garbage every Thursday morning.

I just laugh at your error and walk away with the truth.

[megladon8]

Funny how you made the leap from Battle Royale to trash.

:lol:

[Pop Trash]

Battle Royale > The Royal Tenenbaums.

Yeah, I went there. It's on.

I fixed that for you. No, no...no thanks necessary.

[megladon8]

Don't get me wrong, I like Battle Royale just fine. But I don't get the "it's a frickin' MASTERPIECE!!!" reputation it has with many.

It's a fun little cult hit for sure. Nothing incredible though. A lot of things > Battle Royale.

[number8]

And I don't get the "It's actually watchable!!" reputation of The Royal Tenenbaums.

[Ivan Drago]

I agree with KF, this trailer is so much better than the first. I still have low expectations for this though.

[Spun Lepton]

Okay, yeah, that trailer held more promise, but it still looks like fairly shoddy animation work. Given what's come out about the production, that doesn't surprise me.

[number8]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4078122071_6cd19337ef_b.jpg

[Wryan]

I like the way Meryl Streep says "...especially him." in the trailer.

So far that's about it.

[MadMan]

number8 that poster is hilarious. I intend to see both Antichrist and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The Royal Tenenbaums is a great film, sure, but The Life Aquatic is better with Rushmore being superior to both.

[Adam]

I'm so relieved this getting such good (http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/fantasticmrfox) reviews (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1197696-fantastic_mr_fox/)

[Qrazy]

I don't know guys. I think the biggest problem here is the Fox just doesn't look photorealistic.

[Derek]

I don't know guys. I think the biggest problem here is the Fox just doesn't look photorealistic.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or genuinely daft.

[Qrazy]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or genuinely daft.

I echo the sentiment in relation to your current remark. ;)

[Dukefrukem]

I saw a trailer on TV for this; this looks pretty interesting...

[Watashi]

Chaw didn't care for this.

[Boner M]

Chaw didn't care for this.Awesome, can't wait for it!

[Boner M]

So, no one's seen this yet?

[NickGlass]

So, no one's seen this yet?

I did, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Wes Anderson's multiple narrative and character devices work extremely well in this medium--and particularly in the whimsical story of loyalty, identity and family that is The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's totally dorky (good thing), and a bit clunky (not exactly a good thing--what is it with Wes and pacing?)--but I was charmed by its awkward quality.

[Watashi]

I know it's animated and all, but a new Wes Anderson film did open wide last week.

It's pretty good.

[Eleven]

Yeah, I kinda loved this movie. Animals who dress, talk, and interact, of course, like Wes Anderson characters.

[balmakboor]

I've really been coming around to Wes Anderson lately. I loved The Darjeeling Limited and this year I fell for Bottle Rocket on a re-watch. I plan to take a fresh peek at Rushmore and Tenenbaums soon. I'll probably even look at Life Aquatic again (the only WA movie I seriously didn't like).

Mr. Fox is such a lovingly crafted little jewel box of a movie. It's one of the few movies recently that I wanted to turn right around and buy another ticket and watch again.

[Dillard]

I'm going back for a second viewing tonight. The first was exhilarating!

[Benny Profane]

Haven't seen it, but from the clips I've seen I find it impossible to hear George Clooney's voice and not think of George Clooney, when I should be focusing on the character instead.

[Sven]

Haven't seen it, but from the clips I've seen I find it impossible to hear George Clooney's voice and not think of George Clooney, when I should be focusing on the character instead.

Exactly what I thought, though I'm still pretty excited for this.

[Eleven]

Haven't seen it, but from the clips I've seen I find it impossible to hear George Clooney's voice and not think of George Clooney, when I should be focusing on the character instead.

The character is basically a red-furred Danny Ocean, which is to say Clooney in movie-star mode.

[Benny Profane]

The character is basically a red-furred Danny Ocean, which is to say Clooney in movie-star mode.

I think I'll wait for the DVD.

[number8]

I have mixed feelings about it. Wes Anderson's bullshit is much more tolerable (and actually funny) in stop motion form, though.

[Sycophant]

To really evaluate this movie, I think I need to watch it with a clearer head. But I certainly liked a lot of parts of it. Some magnificent line delivery. "You wrote a bad song, Petey" nearly killed me.

Pretty sure it's my least favorite Wes Anderson movie, though.

[Raiders]

The character is basically a red-furred Danny Ocean, which is to say Clooney in movie-star mode.

Yeah, based on the trailers and clips I have seen, I just assumed Wes curbed this by making the Fox a small animated version of George Clooney, thus thinking of Clooney would make perfect sense.

I have to wait until this Saturday for the film though.

[ledfloyd]

so this is the first wes anderson film i have an unreserved love for.

[Spaceman Spiff]

so this is the first wes anderson film i have an unreserved love for.

go on.

[ledfloyd]

go on.
it worked for me. i think his baroque sensibility and preciousness fits in a stop-motion world where as before, in films like royal tenenbaums and life aquatic i found it forced, unnatural and suffocating. up until this point the films of his i liked most were bottle rocket and darjeeling limited since they seemed 'looser'.

here, everything works. the cast is fantastic. it's really funny. and it's really fun, what with all the heists. as far as it's target audience goes, there are some good lessons to be taken from it from kids. i never would've guessed in a year featuring films from pixar and miyazaki i would end up saying wes anderson has made the animated film of the year.

[NickGlass]

Yeah, why haven't more posters seen or talked much about this? It's really very good, I promise. It's certainly the best animated film I've seen this year.

[Raiders]

I just haven't been able to get to the theater (except with my in-laws last weekend and that was unfortunately to see Invictus). It's the movie I most want to see in release right now.

[Kurosawa Fan]

My wife and I are taking my son to see it tonight. This time of year is always crazy, and it's hard to get out to see stuff.

[Spinal]

I saw it. It was amusing. At times a little too precious. Didn't make a huge impression on me, but it was just fine. I would place it behind Astro Boy, Coraline and Ponyo when considering the year's best animated films.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I saw it. It was amusing. At times a little too precious. Didn't make a huge impression on me, but it was just fine. I would place it behind Astro Boy, Coraline and Ponyo when considering the year's best animated films.

I feel similar (well, I've only seen Coraline, but it would rank higher). It was fun, amusing at times, but a bit too cute and fairly slight. My son said it was just okay.

[dreamdead]

My son said it was just okay.

Cuss word him.

[Derek]

Cuss word him.

Heh, that was my favorite running gag next to Kylie's spiral eyes.

[ledfloyd]

Heh, that was my favorite running gag next to Kylie's spiral eyes.
mr. fox getting crazy eyes towards the end was a great payoff to that.

[MadMan]

As good/funny as this movie was, I kind of fear that Anderson's shtick is starting to wear a bit thin. Regardless, I highly enjoyed this one, and I feel it lived up to my sizable expectations. The stop-motion animation was absolutely gorgeous in many scenes, and George Clooney is an actor who seems like he would be at home in another Wes Anderson movie. Oh and the ending is very wonderful, in addition to the comedy being more understated-I still feel that his movies are dramas with comedy thrown in.

[Henry Gale]

Hmm... this did almost nothing for me. Visually it's spectacular, but it's also populated with really undeveloped and one-note characters that despite who they were voiced/acted by, left no unique impression on me. The whole time they just feel like they're being dragged along into new stilted plot points, all dressed up just nicely enough by doing as much as it can to try and mask itself in whatever offbeat nature it seems to think it has, only to deliver scenes that feel oddly rushed and half as effective as they should given the weight they hold for the overall story.

I almost hate that I liked this far less than something like Avatar, which I have really similar problems with, but still ended up liking a lot more. I think it just comes down to the spirit of the two films instead of its scope or budget. If Fantastic had more of a driving force to its plot with more suprising turns along the way, allowed its characters to be more strongly defined, and just a more fun and eventful narrative to react to as an viewer, then maybe I would be more fond of it.

It still definitely has its moments, and again, it looks gorgeous, but it just wasn't enough for whatever reason. Right now, it's may actually be my least favourite Anderson film and the biggest disappointment of the year for me. I can only hope that maybe repeat viewings can completely change my view of it in a great way like my experience with Life Aquatic, but with Fantastic Mr. Fox, but I'm sad to say I'm just not all that excited to watch it again.

**1/2

[Sycophant]

As good/funny as this movie was, I kind of fear that Anderson's shtick is starting to wear a bit thin.

I've seen this sentiment a lot since about The Life Aquatic. If it still works, is it really wearing that thin?

[ledfloyd]

I've seen this sentiment a lot since about The Life Aquatic. If it still works, is it really wearing that thin?
it's strange to me cause darjeeling and mr fox are the first ones i like since rushmore.

[Winston*]

It's funny that filmmakers seems to be the only artists who people expect to switch up their syle all the time. Authors and artists and musicians will do the same thing for their whole careers and people will be like it's all good.

[Adam]

It's kind of odd to me that people can be fans of a few Wes Anderson films and out-and-out dislike the others. For better or for worse, all his stuff is pretty much the same noise


It's funny that filmmakers seems to be the only artists who people expect to switch up their syle all the time. Authors and artists and musicians will do the same thing for their whole careers and people will be like it's all good.

This isn't really true, though. You can maybe be commercially successful without switching things up, but ultimately you're a terminally bland James Patterson or Bon Jovi and who wants to be either of those dudes?

[Fezzik]

Just saw this...still not quite sure what to think. It wasn't bad, really, just not as gushing with awesome as I expected given the overall critical reception (is that simply due to the fact that its an Anderson film?)

It had its moments though. The aforementioned "you wrote a bad song, Petey" was great, and I busted out laughing when Fox and his rescue crew ducked behind the motorcycle / sidecar only to ride out from behind it in an exact (much smaller) replica.

I think my biggest issue is something I guess I should call "The Jimmy Neutron effect."

That is, this guy screwed up EVERYONE'S lives, but since he pulled them out of the mess he made and did a few things to redeem himself, suddenly all is peachy again.

I loved the wife character, and Kylie and the kids were highlights as well.

A decent movie. But great? Cuss no. At least, not in my opinion.

[Adam]

I keep going back and forth on Mr Fox. I was definitely digging it pretty hard in the theater, but it's one of those things where like right after it was over, it started to fade completely out of mind. And I'm a Wes Anderson fanboy

I did feel like they made a big enough deal about Fox screwing things up so royally. Didn't Badger Bill Murray really freak out on him in that tunnel? AND he lost his tail, so there

[Boner M]

You assholes, this movie ruled. One of the rare recent films that I wanted to see again straight after it finished.

Of the two melancholy hipster kids movies of the year, I vastly prefer this to Where the Wild Things Are.

[Pop Trash]

Watched this at a packed dollar movie theater and it was surprisingly pretty great. I'm not even that big of a Wes Anderson fan but either he is growing on me or his style translates to animation rather well. A lot of the trademarks are still there (60s pop music and clothes, that deadpan thing where he holds a shot for a beat or two longer than seems necessary, God's-eye-view shots of books or papers on desks, and just an overall 'we're all in this together' humanist world view) but I guess I found it more endearing than The Darjeeling Limited or The Life Aquatic where it was feeling a bit stale and forced. But as for artsy/intelligent family films of 2009, I still think Wild Things is tops. I did like this a bit better than Up, however.