The most arch kid’s movie of the year, Wes Anderson’s adaptation of the Roald Dahl fable, doesn’t merely march to its own beat; it’s moving along to a whole freaking jug orchestra led by Jarvis Cocker (who plays his puppet self). Indeed, this is such a recognisably Anderson-brand flick, it falls far more neatly between, say, The Royal Tenenbaums and Bottle Rocket than alongside Horton Hears a Who.
Fashioned in lovely Oliver Postgate inspired stop-motion, Fantastic Mr. Fox presents a typically dysfunctional Anderson family in action. George Clooney is the dreamer dad of the title, who despite his wife’s concerns (Meryl Streep) moves into a grand tree trunk and gets back into the chicken stealing business. His return to the fray arouses murderous intentions among local farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Meanwhile, simmering resentments between Mr. Fox’s son Ash (Jason Schwartzman) and talented visiting cousin Kristofferson, add characteristically minimal melodramatic notes to the symphony.
Will kids like it? Perhaps. But Anderson fans will be in hog-heaven for sure. All the usual suspects – Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody – have turned out for the occasion. The Bagpuss style animation could not be more charming. The vocals are uniformly excellent. The action is perfectly paced. It might not shift lunchboxes, but it will be a highlight in any hipster’s calendar.