DVDs in Review

Fantastic Mr Fox

Title: Fantastic Mr Fox (2009)

Release date: March 1 2010

Certificate: PG

Format: Reviewed on DVD, available on Blu-ray

DVD RRP: £19.99

Rating: 4.5/5

Writer/director Wes Anderson is best known for his off-beat, adult comedies that orientate around bizarre family circumstances ('The Royal Tenenbaums', 'The Life Aquatic', 'The Darjeeling Limited'), which doesn't really make him many people's first choice to helm an animated adaptation of a children's classic book.

But looking closer at Roald Dahl's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', one can see that these elements are in place. As is the case with all of Dahl's works, the tone is very kooky and far more adult than most people would care to admit to when reading his highly original tales to their children, and indeed the collection of characters do form a family of sorts - one which robs, massacres animals and makes cunning escapes.

George Clooney is the perfect voice for the fox of the title, while Meryl Streep's warm tones are great for his wife and more strong support comes from Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe and the wonderfully deadpan Michael Gambon as a farmer looking for revenge against the devious animals he's ran into hiding.

This is a film that both adults and children can enjoy, and for different reasons. Most reviews state this about "children's films" but this one is particularly true. What other kids' film replaces every swearword with "cuss" and then has the audacity for its hero to declare hopelessly that "this is going to be a total cluster cuss for everybody"? 

Some characters smoke, a rat tries to kill a fox with a switchblade, uncountable amounts of chickens are devoured and revenge by way of murder forms the backing of the story, but still Wes Anderson captures a deadpan magic that proves to be hilarious and original at the same time.

Had this been written today and it wouldn't be PC enough for some tastes, but thankfully Anderson has a classic piece of literature to hide his sarcastic, biting style behind, and it pays off brilliantly. In the same respect, don't expect a word-for-word adaptation even if the end message remains the same. The journey there is pure Wes Anderson, and that can only be a good thing for a family this disparate.