FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Dir. Wes Anderson)
I'm one of a large-ish group of filmophiles that wants Wes Anderson's babies. There's no denying it - we're not indie, or hipsters, we just want his children to be our children. Such dramatic fanhood is not unfounded - Wes Anderson's films are 'well, you know, just really Wes Anderson-y', full of his unique style and clever dialogue and clever direction. I'd even let him name our kids.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is an unusual film is Anderson's portfolio because he's had to restrain his style partially - it's nowhere near the control he had over, say, The Life Aquatic. And good thing too, because though myself and my fellow Andersonites may love him at 100%, but others - and kids, Fantastic's target audience (erm, somehow) - need him with a little pinch of salt. Even his trademark Futura Bold titles are missing here.

Nonetheless, his adaption of Roald Dahl's classic is modern and immersive. What I really love is the choice of voice actors - George Clooney leads a group of fantastic voices, many not of the type usually used in animated films, bringing a different texture to this one (including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, surprise surprise). The animation itself is not your usual stop-motion, at times realistic and at times comically fabricated. It's easy to see how much work has gone into it, so it's not hard to be blown away by the ambition of it all.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is not really a children's film, sorry kids. It's sometimes dark and sometimes irritatingly quirky (eg. using 'cuss' instead of swear words). But, for the mature adult/teenage viewer, it offers a beautiful cinematic experience and a curious one-off departure from some of Anderson's norms. Suffice to say I still want his kids.

★★★★☆