Parents' Guide to

Fantastic Mr. Fox

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Offbeat family adventure may charm adults more than kids.

Movie PG 2009 90 minutes
Fantastic Mr. Fox Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 7+

Based on 83 parent reviews

Jacob M.
Jacob M. Parent of 3-year-old
February 1, 2023
age 10+
I love this movie, but despite it being animated, I don't consider this a children's movie. The humor and the themes in it are very adult.
1 person found this helpful.
doctora
doctora Parent of 6-year-old
December 13, 2022
age 7+

Mr.Fox/Clooney...Clooney/Mr. Fox...same thing...and it's good

This film feels like the George Clooney show, in a good way. There has been a lot of buzz about this film being a wondrous adventure of stop-motion, and it is, however it does feel very personality based. If you are not a fan of Clooney, Clooney-ing it everywhere (a lot of Ocean, a bit of O Brother! and a dash of Michael Clayton) then I do not think you would like this film.
1 person found this helpful.
See all 83 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (83):
Kids say (122):

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

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