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Fantastic Mr. Fox

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Offbeat family adventure may charm adults more than kids.

Themes in this movie include:   family relationships, friendship, honesty, revenge

Why We Rated This on for Ages 7 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Kids might pick up a few of the animals' Latin names (which Mr. Fox enthusiastically uses in one scene).
  • Messages:

    The animals band together, despite their many differences, to keep the malicious farmers from killing them. Father-and-son relationships are portrayed positively as Mr. Fox discovers Ash's worth, even though at first he seemed to doubt him. Mrs. Fox's attitude about what makes a person fantastic demonstrates that everyone has something that makes them extraordinary. There's a running theme about the animals' wilder instincts conflicting with their more people-like responsibilities.
  • Role models:

    Although Mr. Fox steals from the three farmers -- and lies to his wife about doing it -- he ultimately mends his ways so that his family and the other animals can settle down in peace. Mrs. Fox encourages her son by saying that it's what's different about him that makes him special; she also supports her husband, even when she's disappointed in him. Kristofferson is a model child who forgives Ash for being jealous of him and getting him into trouble. Ash matures from trying to live up to his father's expecations and envying Kristofferson doing something exceptional on his own. The farmers are thoroughly nasty (particularly Bean), but they're also clearly the bad guys.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    The farmers use all sorts of methods to try to kill Mr. Fox: guns, explosives, drowning with hard cider, kidnapping, etc.; the animals eventually fight back. Mr. Fox's tail is shot off and treated as a trophy. A bad-guy character starts a knife fight and eventually dies. The animals kill a few chickens, but nothing grisly is shown. A stand-off scene with a rabid dog is a little tense/scary, as are a few other fight/chase sequences.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Mr. and Mrs. Fox embrace and kiss, and Rat alludes to the fact that Mrs. Fox was a "tart" before she married Mr. Fox. Kristofferson and an adolescent female fox flirt and "go steady," making Ash jealous.
  • Language:

    Strong language is replaced with frequent use of the word "cuss" -- as in "What the cuss are you doing?" and "cluster cuss."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The adult animals drink hard cider, wine, and champagne, but not to excess. One of the farmers makes his own hard cider (and enjoys several jugs per day). Some pipe and cigarette smoking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Fantastic Mr. Fox

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?").

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about whether Mr. Fox is right to indulge in his "wild animal" instincts. Should he have honored his promise to Mrs. Fox? What motivates Mr. Fox to steal from the farmers?
  • What can you learn from Kristofferson and Ash's relationship? How are they different, and when does Ash finally become self-confident?
  • How is this movie's style different from other animated movies? What's the effect of stop-action animation compared to the slicker computer-animated animation?
  • How does the movie compare to the book? Is this what you pictured when you read the story?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 5.0

    Outstanding animation for grownups; few worries for kids.

    The movie has received raves from grown-up reviewers for its outstanding animation and quirky script, and rightly so. For this website, appropriateness may be of more concern. My son, almost seven, loved the movie (as he loved the book, the action of which takes up about 10 percent of the movie). Plenty of it went over his head, but nothing disturbed him: the most disturbing elements, involving starvation through siege--the theme of the book too--are probably the ones most likely to go over younger kids' heads. The "violent" death to which other parents are alluding involves electrocution, not dismemberment or anything: potentially disturbing if your kids haven't seen many cartoons, I suppose, but not gruesome or gratuitous.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 3.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    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.

  3. I rate this title on for age 3 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    I saw this with my 3 kids aged 3, 5 and 11. They are all familiar with the original Roald Dahl story (which this film diverges from significantly) and they all loved it, especially the 5yo. There is some moderate violence and peril (shooting, capture, rabid dog) and a scene where one (bad) character dies (crosses go in his eyes and he floats down the sewer)following a fight with Mr Fox which was quite uncomfortable for the youngest and prompted some questions. Some interesting stuff about parenting and family relationships (living up to parent's expectations, rivalry with cousin etc) which could prompt good conversations and which are happily resolved in the end. Some language and terminology which some may find inappropriate (eg Mrs Fox is referred to as a "town tart"). But overall a good family film which was enjoyable for the adults too.

  4. I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    Live life to the fulliest

    Mr.Fox shows that you can live life to the fulliest.

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