The Movie
Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson--all regulars in the films of director Wes Anderson--are joined by Oscar winners George Clooney and Meryl Streep for the decidedly offbeat adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book, Fantastic Mr. Fox. I'm not as familiar with Dahl's work here as I am with, say, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Thunderball, so I can't say for sure how much has been changed by Anderson and co-screenwriter Noah Baumbach, but the results are a hoot, with deadpan delivery of the most bizarre comments and plenty of obscure background gags.
The story seems at first quite simple: A fox, about to become a dad, decides to give up his chicken-stealing ways and settle down to a respectable life as a newspaper columnist. But, being a wild animal at heart, he's eventually tempted back to his old habits, bringing the wrath of three demented farmers down upon him and everyone he knows. The performances, especially the leading man and lady, bring untold extra heart, soul and wit to an undeniably fun adventure.
The Picture
Fully stop-motion animated feature films are rare, requiring a painstaking process which yields a distinctive look. Mr. Fox is in actuality a series of precisely lit, focused and photographed digital still frames captured on the Nikon D3, American PHOTO's 2008 "Camera of the Year." The 1.85:1 high-def image is just about perfect, with none of the video flaws I search for on Blu-ray: no noise, no compression, no flickering of any kind. Camera movement is smooth, and we can readily see individual hairs on each character shift ever so slightly from frame to frame. This disc might be an unexpected treat for 1080p lovers.
The Sound
The voices are not only clear but they manage to reflect the appropriate environmental qualities in different scenarios, and in the extras we find out why: The actors, George in particular, recorded their dialogue out in the real world instead of a sealed studio, an unconventional approach that lends added realism. Rear-channel activity is limited, but crisp and effective, as when the wall of an underground cave crumbles away behind us. Discrete front channels complement the stage play-like composition of many scenes, with modest directionality. Music is also a joy in this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, both the charming original compositions of Alexandre Desplat and the eclectic array of classic tunes (Beach Boys! Burl Ives!)
The Extras
"Making Mr. Fox Fantastic" is a behind-the-scenes extravaganza in six parts, covering all aspects in big strokes and small (45 minutes). "A Beginner's Guide to Whack-Bat" (one minute) really just repeats information and scenes from the movie. "Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World of Roald Dahl" (three minutes) tells us more about the late author, with insight from his wife, although this brief section repeats some of the "making of" content. All of these are in HD.
Disc Two appears to be the final retail copy of the standard-definition DVD, complete with two of the six parts of "Making Mr. Fox Fantastic" plus "Whack-Bat." Disc Three carries a Digital Copy of the movie for both Windows Media and iTunes.
Final Thoughts
I suppose the only problem with this movie is determining its ideal audience. With a PG rating and sophisticated humor, is it too uptown for the tots? Populated by talking animated forestland critters, is it "beneath" most adults? I'm a forty-something man-child, as I suspect many home theater enthusiasts are, and I found Fantastic Mr. Fox to be a direct hit, abetted by that razor-sharp video.
Product Details
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