Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Some authors works may seem unadaptable. Dr Seuss adaptations are notoriously mediocre, Alan Moore's work never seems to capture the same tone on the screen, but Roald Dahl movies seems to toe the line, in the right hands, with the right director, or even just one perfectly cast actor, they can be exceptional . But Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox is the product of a perfect combination of all these features, the cast is filled with big name stars without the actor overshadowing the characters, the directing and writing is perfect, the movie looks beautiful, every frame is truly a painting, and the score by Alexandre Desplat perfectly balances the surrealist whimsy of Anderson's style while also creating an almost western-esque vibe.

story- the story of Fantastic Mr Fox is plainly enough, fantastic. It is a beautiful tale of redemption and accepting who you are, the latter of those themes are perfect in today's society where many kids are still trying to find their sense of self and are struggling with conformity, teaching these kids that it is okay to be "special" is not only important but it will help kids to build a healthy relationship with themselves as they understand that they are not useless or weird. The actual plot keeps the story and tone of Roald Dahl completely intact and is a wonderfully well made movie with hilarious jokes that even at my cynical and angsty age i am able to appreciate. the writing is one of the best parts of the film and it clearly shows that the humour and unique style of Wes Anderson goes hand in hand with Dahl's books.

sound- as i mentioned before Alexandre Desplat's score is practically magical, he perfectly manages the various motifs and styles required from the versatile movie. the theme played with Willem Dafoe's character and the section of music played at the height of the climax gives the story a western like feel which fits perfectly with the ideas of heists and redemption, the diegetic sound design is also flawless as it never sounds like sound design for an animated movie, it always sounds like it is actually like what is happening in the movie is actually happening

setting- okay now i get to rant about how well designed the characters and settings are, the short answer, it is beautiful, in depth i could talk for hours about the little details in each characters that make them unique, but more importantly, the setting is amazing. The various houses and homes are stylized and easily identifiable and the three farmers farms are gorgeous with great uses of colour.

character- each of these characters are an individual in a way that not many movie's casts are, the voice acting is masterful and the big name cast never gets in the way of the performance, i was never hearing George Clooney, only ever Mr Fox, and as i mentioned before the characters are designed with very interesting features. the writing of these characters are consistent and hilarious with many subtly jokes that make perfect sense for the characters to make

colour- as i have mentioned a redundant amount of times, this movie is beautiful, outside shots often have an orange glow giving the movie this nostalgic look, which considering the fame of the source material works well. Bean's cellar also has a golden shine to it and in many places the colour enhances many scenes

camera- this is a Wes Anderson movie, i don't need to say much else, but i love talking about this movie so i will. there are wide panning and establishing shots that are works of art, there is a symmetry to many scenes and viewers will see many other of Anderson's motifs, when coupled with the masterful use of colour and the amazing character design it becomes clear that this movie belongs in a museum or art exhibition

Basically i love this movie,every single feature work together like a well oiled machine, and this childhood defining movie is a must see, if you are still reading this, stop and go watch this movie