Favourite kid’s story Fantastic Mr Fox hit the cinemas on October 23 2009.
Director Wes Anderson transformed the 1970’s book into a magical world of autumnal colours, shot in stop motion style.
Storyline of Fantastic Mr Fox
The film follows Mr Fox, played wonderfully by George Clooney, as he decides he wants more from life than living in a hole. He moves to a tree with his wife (Meryl Streep), who used to be a great thief, along with her husband; and their son, Ash, who is upset he is not following in his father’s footsteps.
Ash is also upset when yoga obsessed cousin Kristofferson comes to stay with them, and is better than him at everything, providing a rivalry between the two youngsters.
Mr Fox soon realises that the reason the house was so cheap was because it is near the farms of evil men Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Neighbourhood children even have a rhyme about them: “Boggis, Bunce and Bean, one fat, one short, one lean. These horrible crooks, so different in looks, are none the less equally mean.” Boggis is a chicken farmer, Bunce has ducks and geese, and Bean is an apple cider farmer.
Deciding that he wants a taste of his dangerous thieving youth again, Mr Fox and reluctant sidekick Kylie, begin to steal from the three farmers, trying to hide it from Mrs Fox.
When the three farmers realise what is going on, they plot to get rid of the fox, surrounding the tree and starting to dig it up, forcing all the wildlife deep underground. The foxes and other animals slowly begin to starve, and the other animals grow angry at Mr Fox for putting them in that situation, until he comes up with a plan for retaliation, stealing a massive amount of food from each farm. Tunnels are created linking their underground hiding place and each farm.
However, a huge face-off erupts between the farmers and the animals. Who will win, and will Mr Fox stay fantastic?
Other characters in the story include a karate rat (William Dafoe) a ‘demolitions expert’ badger (Bill Murray) and a sports coach (Owen Wilson).
Differences Between The Book and The Film
The film version exaggerates the story, as can be expected, and provides a more exciting ending. The character of Mr Fox is changed slightly, with him having a newspaper column in the film, and a trademark whistle and clicking noise.
Mr Fox’s family is also different from the book, in which he has multiple children. The film shows him with only one child and a nephew who is not in the book. In the book, the children are not important characters, but the child Ash features more in the film, showing his rivalry with his cousin. Perhaps invented as a side story, it gives a different angle to the story, showing all the animals at school together and creating a small love angle with a young female fox.
The animals also wear bandit hats while robbing during the film, making them seem more human.
View the trailer for the film here.
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