Trailer Tuesday: Fantastic Mr Fox

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Normally, I would be excited at the prospect of an animated film (stop-motion no less!) based on a Roald Dahl children's classic. However, watching the trailer for director Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox I just can't suppress my concerns. The film seems too damn quirky for its own good!

I'm kind of divided over the whole issue. On the one hand it's great that acclaimed filmmakers with distinct visual styles are entering the animation and family film game. We've already had Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and his version of Alice in Wonderland comes out next year. In a few month's Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (which I've discussed before) makes its debut. And, of course, now there's Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox.


Perhaps my Fantastic Mr Fox worries stem more from a personal taste issue than anything else. I have a problem with Anderson's work in general - which includes Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. These movies get so bogged down in idiosyncrasies and self indulgent performances that the plot just doesn't move. Or satisfy. And I would hate for something similar to happen with Fantastic Mr Fox!

Let's not forget at this point that author Roald Dahl has one of the best track records of book-to-film adaptations. The following have all been good to excellent: James and the Giant Peach, Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World, The BFG, The Witches and Matilda.

Also I'll admit I'm probably being more precious and protective than usual over Fantastic Mr Fox, given that Roald Dahl's books played such a prominent role in my childhood. I think I expected a Fantastic Mr Fox film to receive more of a "straight" treatment, instead of turning it into a quirky, all-star spoof of Oceans 11 meets Office Space, or something.


After all, the storyline of Fantastic Mr Fox, the book, is short, sweet and simple:

Mr Fox steals steals poultry from three nasty farmers to feed his family. Keen for revenge, the farmers find Mr Fox's hillside home and begin the process of digging it up so that they can kill him. The foxes burrow deeper to escape but are forced into a siege situation. In a bid to avoid starvation Mr Fox comes up with a cunning plan to save his family and the other animals affected by the farmers' siege.

That's it. Fantastic Mr Fox is no more complicated than that. And yet there seems to be a lot in the film that wasn't in the book at all. Along with a very American voice cast that includes George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, and Wes Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.

I'll definitely end up seeing Fantastic Mr Fox, but at this point I am very, very wary. For me, personally, as a Dahl purist, the project seems quite alienating.

Fantastic Mr Fox opens in the United States on 25 November, just in time for Thanksgiving. The film comes out in South Africa on 4 December, to coincide with our Summer school holidays.

Comments

MJenks said…
I wish that people who did animation movies like this would get it through their heads that the names don't mean much for the voices. Pixar gets good to decent voices to do their characters, but the voices work. The same goes for the English translation of Myazaki movies. And yet, it seems that there's a rush to get the name recognition for any animation movies coming out now, which detracts from the movie overall. Like you said, there is too much self-aggrandizing going on and not much in the way of story development. Blah. I'll still take the kids to see it.

Not to mention, there's the whole "this isn't really the story as it was written" aspect, which is what ruined Despereaux, in my opinion.
3:00 PM
Pfangirl said…
I agree totally about the voice thing. I've seen several animated movies now severely weakened by the desire to pack in as many famous voices as possible - Shark's Tale and Robots probably being the worst.

Pixar by contrast gets big names but the priority always seems to be their suitability for the characters. For example - although I'm not sure of the truth of this story - I heard they initially asked William H. Macy to voice the father fish in Finding Nemo, but found him too dramatic and dull. So they dumped him and instead went with Albert Brooks, whose comedy experience meant his voice and the personality it evoked, was more suitable.

I'm also not a fan of filmmakers who add their "special touch" to movies, taking something simple and obvious, and overcomplicating it with their artistic vision and assorted personal issues. I wasn't familiar with the Despereaux book but watching the film it did feel, well, very odd, as if they were trying to fit in too many plot threads... and failing.

Oh, and hope you get well soon.
9:48 AM
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