A Fantastic Movie Indeed

Roald Dahl's books give a certain sense of charm to anyone who reads them, children and adults alike. Whether you're following Willy Wonka's outrageous adventures in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and its sequel "The Great Glass Elevator", or maybe if you had a memorable flight with "James And The Giant Peach", each and every one of the late author's stories never fails to amuse. He always has with him a chock full of quick-witted conversations, comedic moments, lovely ditties and poems, endearing characters and a fun plot to go with every book he does. I mean, how does he do it?

It's true that his works are pure genius. He's made a name for his work through out the globe, and it cannot be denied that he is the Father of Children's Books. Well, that's only my opinion actually. I've been hooked to his books and whenever I encounter one I must - MUST - read it from start to finish!

Alas, there haven't been many movies adapted from his books in the 21st Century. Sure, we remember Johnny Depp playing Willy Wonka in the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie some time ago. But it just didn't have that charm that the book possessed. It seemed lacking. And I doubted that anyone would have turned another Roald Dahl book into a movie. I thought no one could achieve it.

Well, I was wrong.

Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox movie launched last year was indeed quite a hit. Boasting an all-star cast and good ol' fashioned stop-motion capture to produce the movie, it was a rare gem to find in this new digital world. Unfortunately, Malaysians were unable to catch the movie here, as for certain reasons the movie was not screened throughout the nation. I still have to wonder why it didn't come here, when it's based from a book by the one and only Roald Dahl!

Anyway, let's get back to the point.

The Fantastic Mr Fox is titled after the protagonist of the story, Mr. Fox (George Clooney), who is famously known as a master thief - as in, he steals chickens, ducks, geese, squabs (whatever they are), etcetera from local farmers. After a near-death experience, he finally settles down to a quiet life with his wife (Meryl Streep) and son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). However, Mr Fox isn't really settled in with his life and secretly decides to complete one last job without his wife's knowledge. Together with the bumbling but kindly opposum, Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky) he robs three farmers - Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness) and Bean (Michael Gambon) - living nearby his new home and inadvertantly leads to a chain of events that changes the life of himself and those around him as well.

The storyline may not actually follow the real book, but in the end everything is just done so perfectly it's forgivable. Everything in the movie is indeed memorable - from the way the characters interact with one another, or the jokes, puns and quick chatter traded, or maybe the lovable puppets themselves. Yes, for those who don't know, the entire movie is filmed without any REAL person in it. The actors and actresses are all puppets, brought to life by the deft hands of their puppeteers. Through stop-motion, the puppets' movements are recorded to make it look as though they were really moving. Watching it, I kept forgetting that I'm actually watching a stop-motion movie, and NOT an animated flick.

The sets used are all perfectly designed, made to fit the puppets and all meticulously designed to show the smallest details (imagine the amount of work needed!), while the environment carries a very nice colour to it, using a nice warm blend of colours to fit the world's atmosphere. And yes, the puppets were also pitch-perfect. Every movement they make just seems... perfect, really. The puppeteers really knew what they were doing!

The characters, however, carry the most weight in the movie. Mr Fox is perhaps the most likeable chap amongst the rest, what with his penchant for reckless, daring plans that always involve stealing ducks, chickens, geese and squabs (whatever they are) while he runs away from danger with whatever plan his sharp brain can think of. Mrs Fox is the perfect contrast to Mr Fox's characteristics - reserved, caring and rational. She easily exudes an aura of familial love that reminds us of our own mothers, as well as reminding us of the importance of wives (hey, we guys tend to stray! XD)

The other characters are all also memorable in their own way. Ash, Mr Fox's son, reminds you of your bratty younger days as a tween, while his cousin Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) reminds us of family members that just seem so much better than us! Others like the deadly, psychotic Rat (William Dafoe), Mr Fox's lawyer Badger (Bill Murray) and the son of Badger's associate Beaver (Jeremy Dawson) have their moments in the spotlight - all which usually leave you tickled pink with laughter or shocked and or awed. The farmers especially, led by the cunning Frank Bean (wonderfully voiced by Sir Michael Gambon, notably remembered as Albus Dumbledore), are the most interesting - with their schemes to kill Mr Fox, whatever it takes.

(If you noticed the few big names already, then you'll be surprised to hear Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody are also in the film, though you'll have to guess who they are!)

The message isn't hard to spot actually - it's all about family, it's all about trust, and it's also about survival. The survival that counts when we are in the direst of circumstances when all hope seems to be lost. But if you can still hold onto your faith and strive, then you won't have it difficult.

A must watch for all Roald Dahl fans. 4.75 out of 5. =)