Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Offbeat family adventure may charm adults more than kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 97 parent reviews
Parents say this film contains themes and content that many consider inappropriate for children, including violence, crude humor, and questionable role models. While the animation and voice acting are often praised, reviewers frequently recommend it for older audiences, suggesting it is more suitable for teens and adults rather than young kids.
- inappropriate for kids
- adult themes
- mixed audience reactions
- quality animation
- questionable role models
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 127 kid 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?
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
- In theaters : November 13, 2009
- On DVD or streaming : March 23, 2010
- Cast : Bill Murray , George Clooney , Jason Schwartzman , Meryl Streep
- Director : Wes Anderson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Fox Searchlight
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Book Characters , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : action, smoking and slang humor
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate