Sly 'Mr. Fox'

I haven't watched many animated films while writing this blog, save for "Up", which was excellent, and the unique "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which was actually filmed in "stop-action" animation. Stop-action moves the figures frame by frame, and in this case, are animated characters, with the frames sped up. It's an awesome visual, and makes the film a stand-out among the 2009 releases. The fact that it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Film (losing to "Up") and that many thought it should have been nominated for Best Picture is just more of a testament to its impact on viewers. Add to the fact that it's directed by Wes Anderson ("Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums") and he brings along the voices of some of his usual crew: Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. And don't forget the voices of Academy Award winners George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Wow, that's a lot of talent.

The film begins with Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) getting caught in a trap while stealing birds from a farmer. Mrs. Fox encourages them to find a new line of work (if the escape) because of the danger and she tells him she's pregnant. Two years later (they escape), the foxes are living in a hole, with Mrs. Fox staying home and Mr. Fox working as a newspaperman (of course!). He clearly misses the thrill of stealing, and is resigned to his life as a suburban father. He decides to move the family to a tree house, which his lawyer, Clive Badger (Bill Murray) warns him against, saying it is too dangerous. Fox disagrees and moves the family.

Once they move, long-lost cousin Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson) comes to live with the family because his father is sick with "double pneumonia." Immediately Mr. Fox takes a shining to cousin Kris, who seems to be good at everything while his forlorn son Ash Fox (Schwartzman) is more of a "wet rag" type.

Soon after moving, Fox can't resist his life of stealing any longer, and decides to target the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who have turkey, apples, alcoholic cider and chickens. Fox recruits the hilarious Kylie Sven Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky) to be his side kick, and the game is on. But once the farmers get wise to the plot, things get pretty wild for the animal kingdom, and they need to find a way to survive...

The story isn't terribly complex, but what really makes the film is the excellent animation and stop-action and the wonderful, funny animal characters. Humans can hear the animals talk, and the interactions between them and their fellow animals is pretty funny. The animals have an interesting society that is just like humans, from lawyers to real estate agents to schools and gym class. Though rated PG, this isn't a film for children. It has adult themes and they use the word "cuss" as an all around curse word (like when they refer to something as a potential "cluster cuss" or "he's a cuss of an athlete") which is actually a pretty funny running joke throughout the film. It's fun and really enjoyable movie that I hope most people like as much as I did.

8 out of 10 stars

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is rated PG for some mild animated violence, smoking (?) and sayign the word "cuss." Like I said, it's definitely an animated film for adults.

Here's the trailer:

A long way 'Up'

The movie "Up" has all the trappings of a childrens film: it's animated, rated PG, a kid is a main character, talking dogs. Yet after watching it, the themes and some of the messages may be a little much for younger audiences, but I think about teens and up would probably appreciate it a lot more. I thought the film was fantastic, and a nice, fun story.

The story revolves around Carl Fredericksen, who we see go from a young boy to an old man. After the love of his life, Ellie, a woman with adventurous tastes, dies, Carl is sad and grumpy, holding onto the house he shared with her as the world goes on without him. After an incident leads to Carl having to leave his home and enter a retirement home, he attaches thousands of helium-filled balloons to his house, hoping to travel to South America where he and Ellie had also yearned to go, but never had. Unwittingly, Carl finds another passenger on the home-made (pun intended) dirigible: Russell, a "Wilderness Explorer" (see: Boy Scout) that has been harassing Carl in the hopes of assisting him, a requirement for a certain badge. Russell is talkative and excitable, the opposite of the old Carl, who doesn't seem to like the bother of his unwanted passenger.

The two land in South America, but not quite where Carl had hoped, meaning they have to trek across land, holding the house by a hose while it floats along like a house balloon. That's the extent of the plot I'll give, but there's a lot more action from then on out. The obvious themes are there: the opening up of Carl, the friendship of Carl and Russell and Carl finishing his (and Ellie's) life-long adventure.

Undoubtedly my favorite part is the talking dogs, who can speak by way of a translation collar. This creates a lot of the laughs in the movie, and part of the reason is because the dogs' body language is so real and familiar for people who know dogs that it actually seems to be what the dogs want to say. One dog, Dug, says, "I hid under the porch because I love you," and that's what he meant. It's a great aspect of the movie, and if for no other reason, rent it for that; you'll really appreciate the talking dogs.

As I said, the plot doesn't seem to be a good movie necessarily for a younger crowd,but visually it is fine for any children. I thought it was great, and there is a pretty high demand for it over at Crazy Mike's. Apparently people have been calling and stopping to try and get it, so plan ahead if you want to watch.

8 out of 10 stars

My favorite part is the