Fantastic Mr. Fox (Second Draft)

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion film directed by Wes Anderson. It was based off of the children’s book of the same name by Roald Dahl. This movie is the first animated film made by Wes Anderson. Even though it was not filmed with human actors and real settings, Anderson stays true to the camera angles, unrealistic character placements, and muted color palettes that he is known for. Advertising for this film targeted a young audience, but the movie also appeals to adults because of its nostalgic atmosphere and realistic plot themes.
The main plot of this film is one that is simple for children to understand. Mr. Fox, the main character, gives up his livelihood of stealing from nearby farmers when he learns he is going to have a son. During a midlife-crisis, he decides to steal one last time. The farmers whom he steals from are furious. They go after Mr. Fox and endanger his family and neighbors. In the end of the movie, Mr. Fox outsmarts the farmers and all the animals find a new home in the not-so-dirty sewers beneath a fully-stocked supermarket.
When Mr. Fox learns that he is going to be a father, he promises his wife that he will stop stealing. This The movie opens with a scene that features Mr. Fox, a seasoned thief, and his romantic partner, Felicity, as they attempt to steal squabs from a nearby farm. As the pair are fleeing from the scene, they get caught in a trap. Felicity reveals that she is pregnant and makes Mr. Fox promise to stop stealing. The audience gathers, from future scenes, that Mr. Fox makes this promise. This scene relates to what many humans do when they discover they are going to be parents; they search for stability so that they can create a safe environment in which they can raise their child. The relatability of this scene for many adults brings back personal memories and can cause the adult to form a connection to the film. They may be reminded of their own experiences with raising children and feel those same emotions again.
Another scene that appeals to older audiences is when Mr. Fox decides to start stealing again. Twelve years after he made the promise with his wife to pursue a legitimate career, Mr. Fox begins to question his past decisions and the significance of his life. He, just like many humans around the age of forty, goes through a midlife-crisis. Mr. Fox realizes that he is getting close to the age at which his father died and realizes that his job as a newspaper columnist is not bringing satisfaction to his life. He decides to move out of his fox hole and buys a nice, new house because he does not “want to feel poor anymore”. Many humans do this exact same thing. They find themselves suddenly wanting to pursue a career that will make a lasting difference in the world. They question their purpose in life and try to find happiness. Their own confusion is given a form through an animated, animal character.

In many animated films where the main characters are animals, the animals display many human traits. The characters seem more like people than animals. Fantastic Mr. Fox is no exception to this rule. Mr. Fox and his companions wear clothes, walk on two feet, and speak English. They also have jobs, drive motorcycles, listen to and play music, and decorate their homes with furniture. These tendencies are expected by the audience; a children’s film with dumb animals who obey their natural instincts wouldn’t be relatable, and would therefore be dull. Fantastic Mr. Fox is unique from other filrms because the animals retain some of their animal traits. Near the beginning of the film, Mr. Fox sits down to eat a breakfast prepared by his wife before he goes to work. Every part of the scene causes the audience to expect Mr. Fox to consume the food like a human. A plate of neatly stacked french toast sits on a set table in a neatly decorated home. Mr. Fox is dressed in his work attire and his hand is resting near his fork, as if he’s about to use it. He suddently snatches a slice with his hand and violently devours it. There is snarling and scraps of food fly everywhere. This unexpected turn lets the audience know that the animals are not wholly human, nor are they completely animal.

Another instance where the characters display their natural, animal traits is when Mr. Fox’s son and nephew, Ash and Kristofferson, are about to go to bed. Ash turns on a train set, and the pair watch as it drives back and forth along its circular track. In the musical score playing in the background, a glockenspiel plays a bright and cute tune. These aspects together, the innocence of the foxes happily watching the train and the cheerful tune, make this an endearing scene that captures the heart of the audience. It causes the viewers to become invested in the characters. They adore the little foxes and want to them to be happy. This empathy for the characters is important for scenes later in the film, specifically when the farmers endanger the character’s lives. If the viewers weren’t emotionally invested, they wouldn’t care about what happened next in the plot because they wouldn’t have any feeling of suspense.

Throughout the movie, there are references to wolves. Every time the word “wolf” is mentioned, Mr. Fox becomes tense and panics. He claims to have a “phobia” rather than a fear of them. This idea of not being afraid of wolves is curious. Near the end of the film, Mr. Fox finally confronts a wolf. Instead of running away, Mr. Fox shows intense curiosity. He tries to initiate conversation with the wolf, who, unlike the rest of the characters, is not wearing clothes. The wolf never replies. These two traits, nakedness and lack of speech, imply that the wolf is not like the rest of the animals in the movie; he is truly a wild animal. Before Mr. Fox leaves, he salutes the wolf and the wolf salutes back. This camaraderie can be taken to mean that Mr. Fox has come to terms, and ultimately accepts, the animal instincts within him, instincts that he previously blamed for his unfavorable urges to steal.

Wes Anderson uses similar color palettes in all his films. Fantastic Mr. Fox is no exception. The muted oranges, yellows, reds, and browns create a nostalgic atmosphere that is made more intense by the addition of music from the mid-nineteenth century.
These warm colors surround the animals of the movie and are contrasted with the cool blues that accompany scenes with the humans. One notable scene that shows the contrast between the warm and cool colors is when Mr. Fox is stealing apple cider from a farmer’s basement. The farmer opens up the door and flicks on the lights. The color of the room turns from a dark, rusty brown to a blue, fluorescent tone. This stark color change creates a menacing tone that gives paints the farmers as cold enemies. Another example of the color palette used in scenes with the humans is when the farmers are plotting to kill Mr. Fox. The entire setting is dark except for one bright, blue light slightly left of the center of the screen.

References:
Barsam, and Monahan. Looking at Movie. 5th ed. N.p.: W. W. Norton &, n.d. Print
Fantastic Mr. Fox. Dir. Wes Anderson. Twentieth Century Fox, 2009. DVD.
NightFury90. “03. Trains – Fantastic Mr. Fox (Additional Music).” YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2011. Web. 28 April 2016.