I remember reading that Roald Dahl considered The Fantastic Mr Fox to be his most “perfect” story, and perhaps it is.
There’s not a word out of place in the immoral fable of how Mr Fox redistributes the wealth of the vile farmers and arch-capitalists Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The trouble was that the book was more of a short story, and it needed to be extended to make up a decent running time if it was to become a movie. This has been seamlessly undertaken and if you haven’t read the original you’d be hard-pressed to say where it ended and director Wes Anderson took over.
The quirky vision of Anderson — he of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Royal Tenenbaums — seems perfectly suited to the subject matter, and perhaps he’s better off directing films for a younger, less discerning audience.
The animals are lovingly animated, with special attention being paid to their fur, and on the whole reminds me of a pop-up book. It’s an entirely undemanding and enjoyable film and the soundtrack, in the vein of Burl Ives, will leave you in a good mood.