Fantastic Mr. Fox

In his first animated feature, Wes Anderson proves the perfect filmmaker to bring Roald Dahl's much-loved story to the screen.

Mr and Mrs Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristofferson. But, after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox's wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief, and in doing so endangers not only his own beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground with not enough food to go round, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.

Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach have stuck closely to the spirit and the events of the original, but have opened it out, adding new scenes and giving depth to a range of hugely engaging and heavily anthropomorphised characters, replete with foibles good and bad. The voice cast are exemplary, with a host of Anderson regulars including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson featuring alongside British actors such as Michael Gambon and Brian Cox and some Anderson family and friends, Jarvis Cocker amongst them. Leading the pack of course are George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr and Mrs Fox, he roguish and debonair, her beautiful, wise and funny.

Creating alternative universes is something this director has always excelled at, and his attention to detail finds great expression here. Using classic stop-motion animation gives the story a delightful homemade feel, and the autumnal palette adds a particular warmth. Anderson's stylistic choices are recognisable from his earlier films, resulting in an animated film that feels uniquely entertaining and enjoyable. It succeeds in retaining the essence of Dahl's writing, which has enchanted audiences for over 40 years, but filtered through a very distinct and visionary sensibility.

Sandra Hebron