Wes Anderson returns this weekend with another Roald Dahl book, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. My timing on seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox for the first time is believe it-or-not, purely coincidental. Talk about clairvoyant! This is Wes Anderson's first attempt at animation, and like Isle of Dogs, this is the medium in which his quirky, kaleidoscopic view of the world really comes alive. This is a gorgeously created animated movie, and it's painfully hilarious. You will laugh more times than you'd might expect, especially as an adult. I'm not convinced that this was made for families at all, but it's a beloved children's novel and though Wes Anderson typically caters to a mature audience, he honors the gentle roots of the story. What's better is that Fantastic Mr. Fox seems entirely self-aware that it's a Wes Anderson movie and knows how odd it's supposed to look and feel. In that sense, it goes for broke in absurdist humor and keeps upping ante from scene to scene. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wes doesn't do enough of these!
Review of Fantastic Mr. Fox
