Fantastic Mr. Fox, produced in 2009, directed by Wes Anderson, is a film with a sense of lightheartedness toward a family of foxes who have given up their wildlife and have settled down. Everything is going perfect, but Mr.Fox feels a pull back to his old ways, so he and his possum friend, Kylie, go to neighboring farms of big companies and steal what they can. 

Once Mrs. Fox finds out, their marriage is damaged. Meanwhile, Ash, their son, is having difficulties with his father when his father favors Ash’s cousin, Kristofferson, who is staying over. Ash and Mrs. Fox feel neglected by Mr.Fox. As a consequence, the owners of the 3 farms Mr. Fox has been stealing from, Mr. Boggis, Mr. Bunce, and Mr. Bean, all have the goal of killing Mr. Fox and chopping down his house(tree). Now Mr. Foxes family and friends all decide to live underground, but together, instead of fighting.

This movie’s many themes are when making decisions, to be selfless. That is directed towards Mr. Fox when he goes against his wife and raids the farms. Mr. Fox also pushes his son aside when he “lacks talent”. In the end though, the whole family comes together, showing themes of teamwork.

This movie is a stop-motion animation that took four years to make, including seven months just spent on the first model. Stop motion animation was something new for Wes Anderson, making “Fantastic Mr. Fox” his first full stop-motion movie.  Henry Selick helped with this production. He has made five stop motion animations similar to this film; James and The Giant Peach, Wendell and Wild, Monkeybone, The Night Before Christmas, and Coraline. For certain characters, Wes Anderson knew exactly how he wanted it the first try, for example, Rat. Wes Anderson liked the first model of the antagonist, Rat, but for the character Petey, it took several tries.

Many viewers relate to the characters of this film, causing it to be popular. For example, Ash never feels good enough for his parents, and he always feels like a second option. Even Mr. Fox is relatable, when he wishes for more in life then what he has, then regrets it. What gives this movie that loveable feel is its wholesome, whimsical, touch, with the attention to detail being beautiful. But, this movie gives a misconception that it is for kids. Though it is not wrong for kids to watch this, it has a deeper theme kids can’t always comprehend. 

I would rate this movie 8 out of 10. It is a film that gives off a wholesome feeling that viewers love. I would recommend it.