Mr. Fox More Fantastic Than Ever

4 weeks ago 24th Oct 08:15

In an age where technology has advanced so much that animated movies can almost pass for live action, 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' stands out for its retro, non-realistic feel.

Director Wes Anderson has shunned CGI animation in favour of old-school stop motion, featuring painstakingly crafted puppets set to a backdrop of warm sepia tones for his first animated movie - but couldn't let go of his filmmaker roots and made his cast act out their scenes while recording their roles.

"What I love about the movie is that Wes didn't change his style of directing and storytelling to fit the animated genre," said Jason Schwarzman, who voiced fox cub Ash.

"He just brought the genre to him and made his own movie as if it was another Wes Anderson film, which it is. The dream was to have the cast run around and act out these scenes so you could get people out of breath, overlapping each other, things that happen in real movies that you tend not to see in animated films because things are done so separately.

What I love about the movie is that Wes didn't change his style of directing and storytelling to fit the animated genre, said Jason Schwarzman, who voiced fox cub Ash.

"And so if the foxes are digging a hole, Wes got us on the ground and actually had us digging in the ground."

George Clooney - who voices the title character - added: "We were out in the middle of nowhere on people's farms, doing sound effects and rolling around in the fields."

Despite the old-fashioned feel of the movie, Wes' attention to detail was painstaking.

Inspired by a stint staying at author Roald Dahl's home - where the original children's book was written - everything about the film was carefully considered, with more than a few nods made to the author.

Michael Gambon's character, the alcoholic Farmer Bean, bears more than a passing physical resemblance to him, while the writer's study was painstakingly recreated for Mr. Fox - right down to a ball on his desk made from sweet wrappers.

The subtle tributes date back to the director's lifelong love of the author and his work, as he recalled: "'Fantastic Mr. Fox was the first book I ever personally owned that was officially my property and it was a book I loved as a child.

"Someone introduced me to Roald Dahl's work and it made a big impression on me. About 10 years ago I wrote to his wife, Liccy Dahl to ask permission to make the movie, so it was a long process I always intended for it to be stop-motion.

"I wanted to do a stop-motion movie with animals and fur because I always loved the way that looked, that odd magical style."

The film largely stays true to the book, with a back story and stretched-out ending added for both length and establishing characterisation with just a few minor changes that don't affect the plot.

Mr. and Mrs. Fox - voiced by Meryl Streep - have just one child, Ash, who is desperate for his father's attention.

Effortlessly suave and debonair, Mr. Fox is a newspaper columnist who frets that no one reads his views.

Desperate to better his family, he moves them to a new home within a tree (based on one growing in Roald Dahl's garden, with set designers even taking an impression of the bark to ensure perfect details) which is beyond his means.