The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales

Movie review by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 5+

Cheeky farm animals save a baby (and Christmas).

G 2018 83 minutes
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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 5+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales is an animated French/Belgian feature about talking animals living on a farm, silly enough to entertain younger kids and sophisticated enough to amuse the adults with them. An inept fox can't seem to scare the chickens, even under the directions of a far craftier wolf. Chickens revolt against a lazy guard dog and learn self defense. A rabbit and duck impersonate Santa and an elf to save Christmas, and a pig is constantly anticipating impending disaster. Cartoon violence is played for humor. A pig is catapulted over the forest. Animals are chased by a wolf, then dumped off a moving truck, and dropped out of a flying plane; no injuries. A fox and wolf constantly try to eat chickens and other animals. "Twerp" is as sassy as it gets. The voices of English actors are dubbed over the original French.

Community Reviews

drmomnyc
drmomnyc Adult
October 21, 2020
age 6+

Another Santa doubter

We are big Ernest and Celestine fans. This was not as good but still entertaining. Only thing - I hate children's movies that seem intended to include younger viewers in its audience and the calls out 2 characters for still believing that Santa (Father Christmas) is real. Postpone or skip this one if your child still believes in Santa!
RonjasMom
RonjasMom Adult
July 8, 2020
age 6+

Fun, well made movie

We all enjoyed this. I don't know why it has only three stars on Common Sense. The quality is excellent, and the whole family can watch it together. (I almost said five stars, but I try to save that rating for the most enduring classics.) I thought the second act was a bit harrowing, with the chicks in danger and the fox in a moral quandary, but my seven year old was fine with it.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Farm animals perform a three-part play in THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES. A rather inept Fox (Giles New) gets no respect from the hens when he incompetently tries to raid the coop at the farm. He's reduced to eating turnips the kindly Pig (Justin Edwards) offers as the hens chuck him out. The local Wolf (Matthew Goode) suggests Fox steal some eggs, raise them into chickens, and then the two can feast together when they birds have fattened up. But when the chicks hatch and imprint on Fox, calling him Mummy, Fox grows increasingly protective of his brood. Another vignette forces sage Pig and dimwitted Rabbit and Duck to take over for a lazy stork to deliver a baby to its parents, and the last follows Duck, Rabbit, and Pig as they try to impersonate Santa, elves, and a reindeer to save Christmas and deliver presents to kids.

Is It Any Good?

This is a delightful animated romp, adapted from co-director Benjamin Renner's comic books, with characters designed to appeal to young kids. The actors in The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales speak in normal adult voices, giving the impression that the crazy goings-on are ordinary and normal, which adds to the humor. The hens organize, firing the farm's lazy guard dog, then devising anti-fox initiatives and taking up self defense classes, a lot like the take-charge farm animals in Doreen Cronin's wonderful children's book Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type. The three stories were originally created as half-hour television specials.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what family means. The chicks think a fox is their mother. How do the chicks in The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales persuade Fox that they're a family?

  • How do we know that cartoon violence is meant to be funny? Is it that the characters never really seem to be permanently hurt?

  • Why do you think Pig worries so much about Rabbit and Duck?

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