 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Review Date: November 3, 2009
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Offbeat family adventure may charm adults more than kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that director Wes Anderson's dry, offbeat adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's story Fantastic Mr. Fox is fine for most grade-schoolers but also has some themes and humor that will go over kids' head. The story features a lot of scheming and violence, as three farmers plot to kill Mr. Fox for stealing from them. There are explosions, guns, a knife-wielding rat, a rabid dog, and a secondary character's death, but none of it is graphic or too scary (just a bit startling and/or tense in spots). The farmers smoke and drink, as do the adult animals, who tend to drink with dinner. Aside from a couple of kisses between Mr. and Mrs. Fox, there's no sexuality to speak of, and the language is limited to the word "cuss" being used as a substitute for stronger words (as in "what the cuss?").
What's the story?
Director Wes Anderson's latest quirky family drama, FANTASTIC MR. FOX, chronicles how Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney), restless in his tame job as a newspaper columnist, decides to indulge his animalistic urges to steal game (and cider) from the three biggest farmers in the area. Even though stealing means breaking his word to Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep), Mr. Fox -- aided by his gullible opossum friend Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky) -- can't help but plan his next big score ... until farmers Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness), and Bean (Michael Gambon) team up to kill the wily thief. Mr. Fox leads his wife, adolescent son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), and nephew Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) into hiding underground, where they meet neighboring badgers, rabbits, mice, and other animals who are suffering due to the farmers' war with Mr. Fox. Starving and unhappy, the animals spur Mr. Fox to keep scheming until they've outwitted the humans.
Is it any good?
After seeing a long parade of 3-D digitally animated movies, Anderson's stop-motion adventure is a welcome delight. The director brings his auteuristic obsession with family dynamics to this offbeat tale, which will probably appeal more to hipster cinephiles than kids who prefer the slick CGI style of other animated releases. Clooney and Streep (does it get much better than that?) are spot-on as middle-aged married parents struggling to balance their wilder instincts with their domestic responsibilities. Clooney in particular is amazingly adept with his voice work -- especially when he gives Mr. Fox's trademark "click click" noise after voicing his brilliant heist plans.
The relationship between cousins Kristofferson -- a gentle spirit with extraordinary skills at everything from meditation to martial arts -- and Ash -- a son desperately trying to live up to his father's grand reputation -- is surprisingly touching and believable. One of the film's most amusing sequences involves a deliciously complicated school sport called Whack Bat (the best fictional game this side of Quidditch), which is explained by none other than Owen Wilson, as Ash and Kristofferson's coach. In addition to Schwartzman and Wilson, other Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe play memorable supporting roles as a badger lawyer and a vindictive rat, respectively. Anderson's purposely quirky films tend to alienate mainstream audiences, but Fantastic Mr. Fox is a charming, heartwarming exception.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether Mr. Fox is right to indulge in his "wild animal" instincts. Should hehave honored his promise to Mrs. Fox? What motivates Mr. Fox to stealfrom the farmers?
What can you learn from Kristofferson and Ash's relationship? How arethey different, and when does Ash finally become self-confident?
How is this movie's style different from other animated movies? What'sthe effect of stop-action animation compared to the slickercomputer-animated animation?
How does the movie compare to the book? Is this what you pictured when you read the story?
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AGE
Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the finest family movies I have seen in years. The animation is elegantly crafted, beautifully detailed, and just gorgeous to look at. After the movie my 11 year old stated "its like watching a beautiful moving painting". The characters, dialog, and messages are warm, intelligent, and funny. More importantly the movie does not talk down to children nor dwell on moralistic sledgehammer messages which bore both kids and adults alike. The soundtrack is delightful. The pace is exquisite. If you are intelligent, sensitive, and have a sense of humor, give the gift of viewing Fantastic Mr. Fox to your children. The experience will make you a better parent, and your kids will love you for it.
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AGE
Who is this for? How did I get here?
Odd movie... not sure who it is designed for. I thought it was interesting, but not terribly so. Love George Clooney... but couldnt take him seriously.
Weirdly still, the previews of "date night" had the word a$$ and discussed "whacking off". Not exactly the full kid package.
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Kid, 9 years old
April 25, 2010
AGE
A Great Movie From the Start
This is a great movie for KIDS! It was a great movie and I loved it.
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AGE
Not worth a tinker's "cuss".
I borrowed it. I won't be buying it. It's slow, it's totally rewritten, it's a rip-off. So it's got Clooney and Streep. Big deal. And what is it with Americans, that all the supposedly "good" guys have American accents and the villains get cod-British accents? Oh, pardon me, there's the hick hillbilly rat too - great stereotyping, eh? Not at all up to Roald Dahl's standard of writing. Don't waste your money.
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AGE
Easily one of the greatest animated movies
Quirky for me usually means just awkward situations involving hipsters. This movie was quirky, but the dialouge and situations were hysterical. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at an animated movie since "Shrek." This is a cussin' great film for all to see, especially adults, and it stays true to the fantastic book of which it's based. Roald Dahl would be honored.
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AGE
My 4 1/2 year old son loves this movie and so do my husband and I. The craft of the stop animation is fantastic and the story is very entertaining. The movie has truly captured our imagination. This is a great movie to watch over and over with your child and discuss what the characters feel and why they make the choices that they do. It is about a family that sticks together, is imperfect, but learns from mistakes. I do not think the film says that it is ok to lie. Mr. Fox, and unfortunately his family and whole animal community, suffer the consequences of the poor choice he makes to return to stealing from farmers. It certainly shows that Mr. Fox regrets this error and attempts to resolve the situation. To me, that is a good lesson for children, that the choices you make not only affect you, but can affect others too. It celebrates differences and how we can find a unique talent in everyone to appreciate. Plus it is just a fun film to look at. The movie is exciting, but not scary. Relax, watch, and enjoy!
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AGE
Great Family movie
It was definitely an adult movie disguised as a children's movie, but my 8 & 11 year old loved it. I think there are many positive messages, including be yourself. The violent scenes were not scary at all.
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AGE
ehh....
it's okay, it's funny and all, but nothing beats the book. This movie just doesn't have the awkward charm that roald dahl intended it to have. If you feel like watching an animated movie, dont waste your money on this one.
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AGE
Not a kid's movie
Our family, ages 9 to 89, all agreed that this is not a kid's movie. The one positive is that the stop motion animation is artistic and visually interesting. Otherwise, we all agreed (even our 9-year-old) that it had no appealing characters, no positive models, unnecessarily negative language (use of the word "cuss" in every other sentence to replace swearing just raises questions from younger kids), and too much violence. We found any redeeming message so buried underneath the negativity and violence that it was lost on younger kids. We do not recommend this movie.
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| Topics: | adventures, book characters, wild animals |
| Studio: | Fox Searchlight |
| Director: | Wes Anderson |
| Cast: | Bill Murray, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 13, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | March 23, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | action, smoking and slang humor |
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