Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 11-26-2009, 05:36 PM:

CINEMA: Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons, Sandy, UT
AUDITORIUM: 8
PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital DLP
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None [Cool]

RATING: Three stars (out of four)

First off, I'd like to thank Del Taco for being open on Thanksgiving. That is all.

THE PLOT: Mr. Fox is fantastic. Wackiness ensues.

This may be a cute looking stop-motion animation movie, but it is NOT a kids movie. It's Wes Anderson all the way. It's apparently based on a Roald Dahl novel, but I'm betting if Dahl were around to see this, he wouldn't recognize it.

The animation is beautiful while imaging is unmistakably Anderson. There's a lot to see here. Anderson's script is funny and clever. I don't think the parents who brought kids to this expected what they got, but seemed pleasantly surprised. I'll bet they recommend it to others but tell them to leave the little ones at home. Kids...seemed confused at best. There's no reason kids shouldn't see this...but much of the content and dialogue is going to be over their heads.

Bottom line...If you don't like Wes Anderson's previous movies (and I'm aware many of you don't), you probably won't like this one. If you do...you should love this.

Not quite my favorite movie of the year (though I'll be seeing it again) but easily my favorite animated movie of the year.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-28-2009, 01:50 PM:

quote: Sam Graham
it is NOT a kids movie

What's up with all these kids' movies NOT being for kids? So far this season we've had "Where the Wild Things Are," "A Christmas Carol" and now this.

At least the better Disney movies are "not JUST for kids," which is much more desirable than scaring or alienating the little nippers.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-29-2009, 06:45 PM:

Today at Regal 15 in Eugene, #12 in 35mm. Unsteady image, esp. the last reel. Sounded great and for a change it was loud enough for me.

I liked it. Agree with Sam, kids may not get a lot of this but there's nothing overtly kid-unfriendly. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

They use *all* the 1.85 frame in this. There was text right out to the edge on all 4 sides, and things right at the top like an animated plane carrying an ad banner, which if your framing is even a little off or plates not right, might be easily cut off.

Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 11-29-2009, 10:48 PM:

Folks:

They sure do use all the frame. The theatre I saw the picture at had slight cropping issues. A great theatre (Elmwood, Berkeley, CA) by the booth shoots at a difficult angle to the screen. Good quality picture but a little over cropping necessary.

Kids today are so used to family films being dumbed down to an IQ of zero, that naturally they struggle when they see sophisticated fare like "Mr. Fox" and "Where the Wild Things Are".

Mike

Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 12-02-2009, 01:59 PM:

I liked it. I'm a big Wes Anderson fan, and thought that this was like a Wes Anderson action movie. It eschews his usual slow, awkward pacing and replaces it with lightning fast, awkward pacing. This is a significant development in style, because I didn't imagine that anything that moved as fast as the dialogue or story of The Fantastic Mr. Fox could leave time to sense that much awkwardness, but it does.

Wes Anderson's movies are always more about why people do what they do than about what they actually do. Mr. Fox follows Anderson's theme of studying family as a dysfunctional social unit, this time with endearingly animated animals. The source material must surely get its due, although adapting a Roald Dahl book does not itself guarantee a compelling movie (I thought Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was dull and grating). Anderson does well in this animated medium, maybe because the awkward movement of the puppets matches their social awkwardness.

I think it is generally poor form to use a word as much as I just used awkward, but that is the basic essence of Wes Anderson. His movies all tell the same story while his style evolves, but it is a well written story and it is a beautiful style. Someday, Wes Anderson might make a movie that takes some risks, but his formula seems to be working pretty well for now.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 01-06-2010, 01:26 PM:

I think this is my favorite movie of 2009! 5 out of 5 stars.

Don't worry, I think the cute characters were enough to keep kids entertained when the adult stuff went over their heads.

Best line: "If what I think is happening, IS happening, IT BETTER NOT BE!" [Big Grin]