The Fantastic Mr. Fox

When a director like Wes Anderson, who has proven a penchant for humor of the more offbeat kind with films like "The Royal Tennenbaums" or "The Deep Sea Divers", takes a chance on an original by author Roald Dahl ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), it can only result in a very special film. If this is then also produced in classic stop-motion technology, then a film experience of the excellent kind is guaranteed. And that's exactly what "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" turned out to be.

Mr. and Mrs. Fox (voiced in German by Christian Berkel and Andrea Sawatzki) actually lead a very idyllic life with their somewhat too small son Ash. But Mr. Fox just can't completely suppress his penchant for hunting chickens and so, after an extensive foray together with his friend Kylie, a lovable oppossum, the smart fox turns the three powerful farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, of all people, against him. And soon all the animals in the area are suffering as a result of the farmers' vendetta. But Mr. Fox already has a plan to outwit the three men...

"The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a wonderful film that delights with incredible attention to detail. Unfortunately, it's the elaborate way it's made that might get in the way of its success. Because in times of cool 3-D computer animation technology, Anderson's fable just seems very old-fashioned - and unfortunately there are far too few moviegoers who still appreciate this kind of filmmaking. Especially since, and this is unfortunately also a reason for too many not to see the film, "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a thoroughly intelligent, very ironic and therefore not obtrusively funny film, in which the joke is often to be found in small details and dialogues.

Whoever gets involved in this very special cinematic experience, however, really does get something for his money: an amusing story, a great set and endearing characters. That the visuals in particular are so successful also has to do with the close collaboration between Anderson and Dahl's widow Felicity Dahl, who granted the filmmaker access to the legendary cottage at Gipsy House, the Dahl family estate in Buckinghamshire, England. It was in this cottage that Dahl often enjoyed working, and the striking interior of the little cottage then made its way into Anderson's film.

However, other aspects of the production design, such as the décor of a supermarket, the golden-looking lighting of bottles filled with cider, the colour scheme deliberately dominated by brown tones, or smoke conjured from cotton wool, give the film a very special, peculiarly beautiful look that allows viewers young and old alike to become completely lost in the world of the "fantastic Mr. Fox".

For the original English version, Anderson was able to attract great voice actors such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe or even Owen Wilson, whereby he largely refrained from recording the individual voices separately in the studio, as is usually the case. Instead, the majority of the actors were shipped to a ranch and there, in the house, in the fields and in the barns, the dialogues were recorded, which gives the whole a very organic, authentic character. If you can, you should definitely watch the film in the original English, even if the German dubbing can also be considered very successful.

As recently "Where the Wild Bunch Lives", "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" is more arthouse cinema than a typical children's film. However, you definitely shouldn't let that deter you. Because once you get used to the somewhat alienating visuals, and that happens quite quickly due to the many enchanting details alone, you will be swept away by this ironic, quirky and simply endearing fairy tale quite quickly. Therefore also applies: absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp