FANTASTIC MR FOX post release

I wasn't all that excited to see the movie after the first trailer, but I saw a new one (new to me) in front of WTWTA. It pushes some 'positive review quotes' in your face, but the trailer did its job. I'm really looking forward to this now. I did laugh pretty hard when there was one quote that went, "Shows you that PIXAR isn't the only game in town!!!" or something along those lines.

I just found out this was stop motion by watching a doc on HBO.

Murray was in the workshop being all humble and awesome.

Unreal.

oh.. I thought they trained real animals.

I've only seen a handful of TV spots. Other than that, I knew very little about the movie, besides the people involved.

I can honestly say I've never seen animation quite like it.

Same thing happened to me with Babe.

Review http://chud.com/articles/articles/21...THE/Page1.html

No wonder he cast Clooney. With very few alterations, this is exactly the plot of the first two Ocean's movies.

Question: Would this be a good place to start with Wes Anderson? I've been interested in watching his films for a while, so I was wondering if I should check out some of his earlier films first.

I can't speak to this film yet, but my foray into Anderson's universe began with Rushmore. I think Rushmore is the best place to start due to the fact that it contains all of the hallmark Andersonesque quirks, but seems to be the most accessible of all of his films. It does a good job of kind of teaching you how to watch an Anderson film. Starting out with Darjeeling or The Life Aquatic may be akin to jumping into the deep end of the pool without having knowledge of how to swim in those particular waters.

I'm forced to assume you're utterly unfamiliar with the oeuvre of Rankin & Bass. And that you were raised in Soviet Russia.

Quite good. A real fun time.

Very enjoyable flick. I didn't enjoy it as much as his live-action work (with the exception of Darjeeling) but it works very well.

Perfect movie.

You should start in order. BOTTLE ROCKET is a first film but it's a damn good first film. RUSHMORE is his masterpiece, in my opinion. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is almost, one fraction, .0000001% less as good, but that's more of a personal preference for me. THE LIFE AQUATIC isn't as bad as a lot of people say but it's still off the rails in comparison to his first three features. DARJEELING LIMITED to me is Wes Anderson trying to get back from that, and it's a good movie, but still nowhere near his first three.

THE LIFE AQUATIC isn't for everyone, and that's mainly because it isn't good. I get why some people are more forgiving because it's filled with great ideas, characters, jokes, and stylistic flourishes, but none of it adds up to a cohesive whole. DARJEELING is a better film, but it's still not up to par.

I'd just like to say again that FOX is a perfect film. Holy shit, dude.

ETA: Wes Anderson films are always going to be judged on a different scale because of his first three. If AQUATIC was just a balls out crazy Bill Murray movie that we couldn't believe was ever made...

BOTTTLE ROCKET: Small perfection. Still his best work, as it expresses his theme well without having Dignan be the main character. Just a joy to watch, and about the small simple pleasures. In some ways it's his most mature and contained work, and it grows every time I watch it.

RUSHMORE: An evolutionary leap forward stylistically, thrilling and funny throughout but I feel that the style finds root better in THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS, which I think also benefits from having the narcisistic interloper being a supporting character instead of the central one. I remember walking out of it, and feeling like it was *this* close.

THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS: Of his affected films, this is my favorite. I feel like psychologically this is his most penetrating film, as the baggage of the family has in many ways ruined their childrens lives, but the children have ruined their own lives as well. There's a lot of family stuff going on in this one, but this is the one I think gets it right.

THE LIFE AQUATIC: This is the one that gets it wrong, mostly because I don't like how the third act turns on a death so a selfish character can learn an important life lesson. Because the film is so manner, and makes everything feel so arbitrary, I rejected where the film went, even if the film has moments. This film - especially after the last two - felt like he was doing more of the same to diminishing returns.

THE DARJEELING LIMITED: It's hard to tell if this film is loose or desperate. But the thematic concerns of fathers and sons seem to hit its natural (and terrible) conclusion in the TLA variations. I enjoyed it for its structure and color design, but it's very minor, and the short that accompanies it is desperately terrible, it's (I think Beaks said this first) a parody of a Wes Anderson film.

HIS AMEX AD: genius.

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX: It's weird and sad that two of the great directors of our times achieved maturity by making children's films, but I think Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson have some Peter Pan in them. I mean, I don't think you make a series of films about wanting to be respected by your father figures (and oedipal complex in the case of Rushmore) if you don't. But this is the first film that doesn't seem as burdened by that, even if it is the central dilemma. I think probably because there's so much more going on, and the new motif of being who you are. Though some of his old thematic concerns are there, this is the film that feels like a restart and on some level I hope he never stops making stop motion. Truly a great little film.

Definitely my favorite Wes Anderson film. The format is perfect for him in my opinion. The quirkiness is never grating and the animation is stunning. I wouldn't be at all disappointed if Anderson stuck with stop motion for the rest of his carreer.

Loved this film. Adored it. I even teared up when Mr. Fox gave his son his own bandit hood.

And the theater was practically empty except for one family who didn't seem to react to the movie at all.

I've been walking around with a silly grin all day thanks to the Black Power Wolf.

I think I was the only one laughing in my screening for much of the film.

Many children in my screening, very receptive.

I cussing loved it! There is just so much charm in this film i don't know how anyone could not like it. Stop-animation is just the perfect medium for Anderson because it really does suit all of his quirks.

There are just a myriad of great moments.

-The Heroes and Villains scenic route.

-Mrs. Fox's speech to Ash about being different.

-The use of the video cameras for the second heist.

-"That's just bad songwriting, Petey"

-Just the fact Jarvis Cocker is in this thing makes me giggle.

-The use of Georges Delerue's Le Grand Choral.

-Canis Lupus

Also something has to be said for Alexandre Desplat's fantastic score.

AB-SO-LUTE-LY DELIGHTFUL!

I had a great time with this and from the sound of it, my mostly-full showing dug it too. The thing about the laughs were that it wasn't always in unison. Different segments of the audience got tickled by different moments. I was cracking up pretty much the whole time. It makes me wanna go back and watch the Anderson movies I loved years ago.

I was surprised when Desplat's name came up for the score credit. Based on what I heard, I fully expected to see Mark Mothersbaugh's name show up. Desplat must never stop working. This and New Moon in the same month...

EDIT: The only negative part about the viewing experience was having to sit through Jackie Chan and The Rock's respective entries into the overtly family-friendly genre. Ouch for both guys...

It's interesting that this is Anderson's first film to use 1.85 since Bottle Rocket. Has a stop-animation film ever been shot in scope?

Harryhausen went anamorphic with First Men In the Moon, but I can't think of any fully-animated films.

At my theater, Mr Fox had under ten people in both the early evening and late evening shows last night.

Proof that the film isn't all that removed from reality as we may think...

Fo fox sake, that's the worst human costume I have ever seen.

I agree with Alan, watch them in order. Bottle Rocket will ease you in... Rushmore and Tenenbaums will show you why he's so highly regarded and the others are interesting enough but not nearly as good as those earlier works. I agree that by themselves they might be great films but within the realm of Anderson films they're quite weak and not nearly as charming.

I'd hate to see you work your way backward and get bored of his style by the time you got to the truly great films. Just remember, they get better and better with each viewing. Lots of sneaky dialog.

This leads me to The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was as good as I thought it would be but not really as funny as I expected. I'm curious if the dialog is going to grow on me like his earlier works. Overall I give it a solid B but it could become an A with repeat viewings... any scene with the Rat pretty much makes my top 5 favorite scenes of the year in any film.

Loved it. Perfect way to cap off Thanksgiving. Such a charming and clever movie. One of my favorites of the year.

The montage of all the animals dancing in the various farms during Petey's song is just pure joy.

I thought this was a lot of fun. The voice work was top notch and the movie looked great. There are a ton of funny parts, but the SOLIDARITY thing with the wolf killed me. "I'm asking him if we're in for a tough winter!"

And the CUSS stuff never got old.

Badger: The CUSS you are!

Mr. Fox: The cuss I am?
You cussin at me?
Are you pointing and cussin at me??????

That whole growling standoff with Badger killed me.

The biggest surprise of the year for me. LOVED it. Imaginative, heart-warming, genuinely funny...this is a true artistic triumph for Wes Anderson.

I got the same feeling watching this as I did when I first saw THE DARK CRYSTAL when I was a wee lad. The difference being FANTASTIC MR. FOX will likely continue to be a fave of mine years later.

I think I've come to a peace treaty with myself--let Mr. Fox win Best Animated Feature, and give UP Best Picture. That way everyone deserving wins!

I am completely, totally in love with this movie. A total delight.

Also, this kind of stop motion is less Rankin-Bass and their holiday stuff, and waaaaay way way closer to Paddington Bear.

How can an animated feature win Best Picture and NOT Best Animated Feature? I'm not disagreeing with your sentiments, just pointing out that you're dreams make no sense. Now let me go back to sleep where I am king of blue jeans.

I guess it's time to dust off the annual arguments against the Best Animated Feature category. Sure, it spreads the wealth around and allows recognition for movies the Academy usually overlooks (Iron Giant anyone?) but the way it's applied the category really needs to be changed to Best Children's Film because the nominees are never considered on the objective quality of their animation.

I really loved the rat fight. But such a strange send off.
There's this tidy little wrap up line about how he found redemption at the end. Then Fox's nihilistic gutpunch about being just another dead rat behind a chinese restaurant. It's like Anderson and Baumbach's sensibilities were fighting for control of the screenplay.

My kids liked it, but I loved it. Not sure how I feel about that.

Wondrous film. One of Anderson's best in my opinion, his style seems almost better suited for animation.

I wonder how long before someone attempts Whack Bat. I'd totally play that.

It was definitely my favorite Anderson film. I was singing its praises the whole holiday. My only complaint is my the girlfriends parents deciding to say "cuss" all the time now.

My kid got bored at first. The jokes sort of flew over her head and it didn't help that she found the animation creepy from the outset. She hasn't had much experience with stop-motion, claymation, etc but she loves Coraline and I've been thinking she's due for some Wallace and Grommit.

Toward the second half of the movie, she got more into it. She laughed at Ash almost constantly, and at the end declared it a "funny movie" so on some level some sections of it worked for her. Right on!

I think UP is the better movie, but I think I liked this more, overall. It's a complicated emotion.

Yes the death of the finger snappin, switchblade wielding rat was a strange moment.
It was Mr. Fox's Daniel Craig Bond scene.


But would you have told me....
IF I HADN'T KILLED YOU?

"Divide it by 9, please!!!"

I loved hearing Gambon's voice coming out of that character. In fact, I completely loved the designs of B, B, and B.

The Iron Giant was never nominated because it came out years before the Animated Feature category came into existence. Also, the category's had a variable history. For instance, there have been four PIXAR winners, one win for Hayao Miyazaki, and one for Nick Park. But Shrek and Happy Feet won, too.

At least Happy Feet won the year it went against Cars so it didn't end up feeling like another instance of Shrek winning against Monsters Inc.

And Happy Feet was totally fucking bonkers.

I was mostly onboard with Happy Feet till its ending. So odd.