By Maya Bourne and Delaney Pound
True to its name, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a fantastic movie. The superb atmosphere created by the cozy autumn lighting, amazing stop-motion animation, and grounded plot lead to a timeless movie-watching experience perfect for endless rewatches and in-depth analysis. Both of us have seen Fantastic Mr. Fox approximately 100,000 times combined, and therefore are certified connoisseurs of this spectacular film. We look forward to sharing our vast knowledge of this movie with you and hopefully inspiring you to give this movie a watch or 10.
The production of Fantastic Mr. Fox in itself is just as unique as the actual movie. To start, to record their lines, the actors went to similar locations and actually acted out their conversations, creating genuine connections and believable dialogue. One of the most memorable and popular scenes of Fantastic Mr. Fox, the kitchen scene at 5:20, is particularly special. All of the sound effects, such as the clinking of the dishes, Mr. Fox turning on the radio, and opening the newspaper, were all captured from real life actions. Usually, in movies, they mimic sounds with other objects in a process called Foley; however, they chose to use the genuine sounds to create a more realistic atmosphere. The time and dedication taken by the 500 members of the cast and crew of this film over the course of almost 4 years truly shines through in the natural dialogue and relatable character relationships.
As for the actual film, released in 2009, explores the story of our protagonist, Mr. Fox, as he navigates fatherhood and a search for belonging. On the surface, it is a movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, which follows the story of Mr. Fox as he steals from farmers and crooks Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The novel ends with Mr. Fox and his family, along with all of their neighbors, living underground and secretly stealing from the farmers while the men sit outside of a hole, waiting for them to appear. The movie follows this plot, though rather loosely, and builds off of its premise: a fox finding his place. Mr. Fox faces many challenges, as does his wife, son, and community. His rash decision-making leads him to put himself and his family in trouble many times and even results in the loss of his tail. Instead of the movie ending with the three unfortunate farmers sitting outside of a hole as it does in the novel, another plot-point is added, the final fight, which gives even more opportunity for character growth. The movie successfully illustrates the Hero’s Journey with the circular plot and final scene, where yet again, Mrs. Fox admits to being pregnant, just as she did in the opening sequence. Overall, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a marvel of cinema, showing great character growth and existentialism, displaying the complicated and relatable struggles of perfectionism and arrogance. Mr. Fox learns, over the course of the film, how to apologize for his mistakes and accept his place in society. His relationships, especially those with his wife and son, are strained due to his constant search for a greater purpose. Likewise, his son, Ash, struggles with similar feelings, but feels neglected as his father’s greatness overshadows him. Not only does the story follow inner conflicts with Mr. Fox, it also illustrates Ash growing and learning to be comfortable with himself and his abilities instead of constantly comparing himself to others. Undoubtedly, Fantastic Mr. Fox is an exquisite and complex series of events unlike any other movie. It provides small details and easter eggs you can see on later watches, creating a unique movie-watching experience every time. We both strongly encourage you to watch this film at least once, and we promise it will not be your last.