Discription
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Summary
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animated comedy-adventure film, based on the classic children's novel by Roald Dahl and directed with the distinctive style of Wes Anderson. The story follows Mr. Fox, a charming, well-dressed fox who promises his wife he will abandon his life of stealing to settle down with his family. However, the urge for one last magnificent raid proves too strong, leading him to steal from three cruel, wealthy, and infamous farmers—Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The farmers retaliate by destroying Mr. Fox's home, forcing him and the entire local animal community underground in a hilarious and suspenseful battle of wits for survival.
Plot
The film opens with Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and his wife, Felicity (Meryl Streep), getting caught in a trap while raiding a squab farm. Felicity reveals she is pregnant and makes Mr. Fox promise to give up his dangerous, thieving ways for a safer, more respectable life if they survive.
Twelve "fox years" later, Mr. Fox is a newspaper columnist living a modest existence with his family, including his anxious, oddball son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman). Bored with domesticity, Mr. Fox ignores his lawyer's (Bill Murray as Clive Badger) warnings and moves his family into a new, luxurious tree-home on a hill. The new home is perilously close to the farms of the three mean-spirited and ruthless farmers: Walt Boggis (chicken farmer), Nathan Bunce (duck and goose farmer), and Franklin Bean (turkey and cider farmer).
Soon after the family moves, Felicity's hyper-talented, athletic nephew, Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson), comes to stay, fueling Ash's already intense feelings of inadequacy and jealousy.
The lure of the farmers' prized goods is too much for Mr. Fox. With his dim-witted friend, Kylie the Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky), he embarks on three spectacular raids on Boggis, Bunce, and Bean's farms.
Enraged by the repeated thefts, the three farmers unite and wage war on Mr. Fox. They first ambush him, shooting off his tail, and then use mechanical excavators to relentlessly dig up the Fox family's home and the homes of all the neighboring animals. Mr. Fox, his family, and the other animals are forced deep underground, trapped and starving.
To save his community, Mr. Fox orchestrates a brilliant plan: he leads the animals in an intricate tunneling expedition beneath the farms, successfully stealing all of the farmers' massive stores of poultry, bacon, and cider.
The farmers retaliate by flooding the tunnels, washing the animals into the city sewers. In the chaos, Kristofferson is captured by the farmers' forces. Mr. Fox, realizing his impulsive actions put everyone at risk, commits to a rescue mission. He organizes a daring infiltration of Bean's heavily guarded cider cellar/annex. Ash, determined to prove himself, bravely assists in the rescue, which involves a confrontation with the dangerous Rat (Willem Dafoe), Bean's security guard.
The film concludes with the animals settling into a permanent, happy existence in the sewers, where they build a new underground society. Mr. Fox, having learned a lesson about community and family, leads the animals to a final, easy score: an entrance to a huge supermarket (also owned by the farmers), ensuring they will never starve again. Mrs. Fox then reveals she is pregnant again, and the family is truly settled and complete.
Cast
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George Clooney as Mr. Fox (Voice)
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Meryl Streep as Felicity Fox (Voice)
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Jason Schwartzman as Ash Fox (Voice)
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Bill Murray as Clive Badger (Voice)
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Willem Dafoe as Rat (Voice)
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Michael Gambon as Franklin Bean (Voice)
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Owen Wilson as Coach Skip (Voice)
Crew
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Director: Wes Anderson
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Screenplay by: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
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Based on the book by: Roald Dahl
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Producers: Allison Abbate, Scott Rudin, Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson
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Music by: Alexandre Desplat
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Cinematography: Tristan Oliver
Release Date
November 13, 2009 (United States - Limited)
