With exceeding charm and pitch-perfect stop-motion animation, Wes Anderson has delivered the latest quirky installment in his unique cinematic vision of the world, Fantastic Mr. Fox. Having written and directed Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson has created a reputation as the director to hipster nation.  Sometimes I envision Anderson, Spike Jonze, Noah Baumbach, and Sofia Coppola holding court as the hipster version of the Algonquin Round Table, plotting what their next moves will be to satisfy their hungry audience.  But by no means do you have to be a hipster (not that there’s anything wrong with that, some of my best friends are hipsters) to enjoy Anderson’s films- you just have to be willing to give yourself over to the storyteller for two hours.

Mr Fox and Felicity in their happy home.

And Anderson has always been a master storyteller.  He is one of those directors whose aesthetic is so pronounced and unique there never is a doubt whose movie you are watching.  His scripts carry the same sense-of-humor, with characters that are always dead serious about who they are, no matter how silly they may seem to the rest of us.  His world is full of primary colors, and the placement of his camera is always so deliberate that you practically can feel the man holding it and moving it around himself.  His use of the same actors such as Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, and Owen Wilson (to name just a small few) has allowed him to build what is his own company, a company who understands the Anderson aesthetic just as well as the man himself.  And so Anderson takes his place under the great cinematic title of auteur- the complete storyteller of the screen.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a worthy addition to the Anderson canon.  Adapted from the 1970 children’s classic of the same name by Roald Dahl, the film expands upon the story to flesh out both Mr. Fox’s story before he begins to start robbing the farmers and adds more of a resolution to the end.

The film begins as Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep), who is also a fox, become trapped in a cage as they are stealing chickens from a farm.  She reveals that she is pregnant, and Fox promises that if they get out of the situation alive he’ll give up being a thief for safer work.

Cut to two years later and the Foxes are happily living in a hole with their angsty and awkward son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman).  Fox is feeling so secure that he moves the family into a fancy tree, against the words of his lawyer, Badger (Bill Murray).  Badger is concerned with the tree being so close to the farms of Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce, and Franklin Bean, with the knowledge that they would have Fox and his family killed if they ever caught sight of him.

The Foxes receive a house guest in the form of Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson), Felicity’s nephew, whose father has become very ill.  Ash is instantly jealous, as Kristofferson appears to be perfect in nearly every way.  The conflict between them intensifies throughout the film and later causes unexpected consequences.

With the farms so close, Fox can’t stand to keep the animal inside him locked away any longer, and convinces his dopey opossum superintendent, Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky) to help him begin to rob the farms.  For several nights they get away with their crimes until they are caught by evil Rat (Willem Dafoe), Bean’s security guard, and thereafter a series of events are set off leading to the farmers deciding to kill Fox and his entire family.  Bean (Michael Gambon) becomes obsessed with the idea of getting Fox and will stop at nothing.  This is where the movie gets really fun.

The animals prepare to take on the farmers.

The voice work of the actors is right in line with Anderson’s other films, delivering the dialogue with the serious precision of an Anderson character.  Instead of recording the actors in a studio, he took them to various outdoor locations (the forest, a stable, an attic) to inject the film with a spontaneity and basis in reality.  It pays off.

And as is typical with Anderson, the dialogue itself is so very funny.  In line with the family-friendly animation genre, there are no curse words in the film.  Instead, in many spots where such a word would fit, the word “cuss” is inserted.  “What the cuss?!” and other variations turn up repeatedly with typical deadpan that adds such humor to the already delightful script.  Moments of conflict add humor as well.  Ash’s angry monologues against Kristofferson’s peaceful sensibilities offer moments that make the two a great comedic pair.

But the stop-motion animation is really the star of the film.  Anderson’s unique use of the technique shines against the glitzy 3-D and digital animation that has been filling multiplexes for over a decade.  It lends itself to his work and his crew quite well.  I was mesmerized at times by just watching the movement of the characters’ fur.  There is something so quaint about watching the movement, this old fashioned form of animation.  But, the intersection of Anderson’s cinematic aesthetic with the stop-motion technique provides for a unique and beautiful film-going experience.

The collaborative efforts of Anderson with cinematographer Tristan Oliver and production designer Nelson Lowry really deliver the film its punch.  Oliver worked as cinematographer on the Wallace & Gromit films and Chicken Run, and Lowry acted as art director for Corpse Bride.  Their experience in the stop-motion genre melded perfectly with Anderson’s vision, making the team succeed at bringing such an enjoyable film adaptation to the screen.

Anderson has always known how to use music and soundtrack to set the mood of a film, and Fantastic Mr. Fox is no different.  Composer Alexandre Desplat’s score along with the rock and folk music that tends to pop up in Anderson’s films, not only matches, but adds to the artful look and mood of the film.  The film contains a humorous cameo by Jarvis Cocker, who provides an original song for the soundtrack.

It is always a good time when entering Anderson’s world.  Particularly if you are already a fan of the director’s work, you will not be disappointed.  I found myself just smiling throughout Fantastic Mr. Fox, and for me, that’s enough for a recommendation.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is playing at theatres nationwide. Check www.fantasticmrfoxmovie.com for further details.

My DVD pick of the week is my favorite Anderson film The Royal Tenebaums. Great performances abound through this comic look into a dysfunctional family.