Modern animated movies often revel in such high levels of technological sophistication that audiences can count every strand of hair on each colourful character’s computer generated forehead. But when Wes Anderson directs his first animated movie, don’t be surprised if it defies yours, or anyone else’s expectations. Personally, I didn’t know what type of film Fantastic Mr. Fox would be. Anderson’s Rushmore, released in 1998, was nothing short of genius, but his work since then, in this critic’s opinion, has been all over the place. But considering Anderson’s penchant for quirky characters and kitschy soundtracks, I had my suspicions that this film would be out of the ordinary.

Like Where the Wild Things Are, this is a movie that kids can sit down and watch without their parents fretting over the mind-warping effects of coarse language or mature subject matter. It’s as clean as anything on Saturday morning television, but yet you’d be hard pressed to call this one a kids’ movie. In particular, take the scene where Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and his lawyer Badger (Bill Murray) exchange cuss words. And by that I mean the applicable swear word is replaced with the actual word “cuss.” The scene is fun and can be enjoyed on multiple levels. The adults will chuckle at the satirical censorship, while the kids will giggle at almost hearing a swear.

This bizarre balance between different audiences is what gives Mr. Fox its wide-reaching appeal. The film itself almost turns Roald Dahl’s novel into a 90 minute Bugs Bunny cartoon which features Mr. Fox’s obsession with upward mobility. “Honey, I am seven fox-years-old,” he tells Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) one morning. “My father died at seven and a half. I don't want to live in a hole anymore, and I'm going to do something about it.” Mr. Fox then devours his toast, in typically animalistic fashion, and leaves to visit Badger in order to purchase a new tree. Unfortunately, the new tree’s proximity to farm fresh game and apple cider proves too tempting for Mr. Fox, who must deal with the repercussions of stealing from three very angry farmers.

There’s a feeling of familiarity etched upon every frame of Fantastic Mr. Fox. In fact, both Anderson and his animation director, Mark Gustafson drew inspiration from the stop-motion productions of Rankin-Bass. It’s a timely choice for the season given that two of the most notable Rankin-Bass productions are the holiday specials Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town. To reinforce this comparison Anderson includes the music of Burl Ives, the snowman narrator from Rudolph, on the film’s soundtrack. Perhaps this is because Fantastic Mr. Fox shares a stylized roughness with those stop-motion animations. But what makes this film unique is the level of perfectly imperfect detail captured in every stop-motion movement. This marks a stark contrast between a stop-motion animation like Fantastic Mr. Fox and a computer generated equivalent like Planet 51. Sure, the computer generated animation is rich in details, but it is also appears polished and antiseptic. While Fantastic Mr. Fox inhabits an intricately flawed fantasy world looks tangible enough to touch.
Which is why Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wonderful change of pace, it’s a world that feels tangible enough that you can reach out and touch it. There’s a definite throwback quality to the animation-styles of old. But at the same time, if you were to close your eyes and only focus on the dialogue, you’d likely assume that you were watching a live-action picture. That’s how well the characters standout, that is to say if you’re at all familiar with Max Fischer, Royal Tenenbaum, Steve Zissou or any one of a number of Anderson characters. In the end, it is a testament to Anderson’s balancing act that Fantastic Mr. Fox may be watched for both zany cartoon antics, and quirky dramatic subtexts. Whether Mr. Fox is struggling to maintain his father’s attention, attempting to outshine the latest competition, or grappling with his pending mortality, this animal’s story will remind you of the humanity in all of us.