Posts tagged ‘fantastic mr. fox’
genius at work.
Fox Searchlight released a short featurette about the making of Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Just under three minutes, the featurette is narrated by Jason Schwartzman and it gives a look at all the crazy details that went into making the sets and puppets as well as the voice work. Watch it below:
Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Trailer
Did you feel that? It’s your inner child throwing a party.
The only major fail in this trailer was “Based on the book by the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory“. WTF? I’m sorry, but if you can’t recognize the name Roald Dahl then you just simply fail at life. Big time.
Oh, sweet nostalgia on the big screen!
It is virtually impossible for me to set foot in a bookstore without browsing the children’s section. Everything about it invites you in: the colorful spines, the big block letters, the happy-faced stuffed animals scattered around the shelves, but most of all the sweet nostalgia it all evokes. It’s all these warm, fuzzy feelings and memories of simpler times that make it difficult to happily accept news of a beloved classic being turned into a feature film.
Most recently, Hollywood took it upon itself to announce a film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Skepticism came naturally, considering the book has been near and dear to my heart since “nap time” was considered an integral part of school curriculum. Even after it was revealed that the project would be penned by Dave Eggers and directed by Spike Jonze, my doubts remained and I cringed whenever anyone mentioned the soon-to-be film. How was it that I could continue doubting the adaptation when two of my favorite people on Earth were involved? I mean, does it get any better than the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” video? No! Has Eggers ever written anything I haven’t loved? No! But my mind couldn’t get past that for every The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there’s The Cat in the Hat. For every Holes, there’s Bridge to Terabithia. For every The Secret Garden, there’s Stuart Little. Hollywood has ruined one too many children’s books, it’s depressing. Then one day, everything changed. Stills from the film surfaced and I got chills. Max and the wild things had really come to life. A few weeks later, the official trailer was released and my inner child kicked my ass for ever having doubted Jonze. He’s going to do my childhood proud.
When I learned Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox was coming to the big screen courtesy of the one and only Wes Anderson, I wasn’t overwhelmed with skepticism or annoyance. Instead, I was uncharacteristically excited. But can you blame me? It’s WES ANDERSON. More importantly, IT’S ROALD DAHL.
With films like The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Anderson has become king to legions of indie-film-loving twentysomethings. And though naming him amongst one’s favorite filmmakers may sound cliché these days, the admiration and respect for his work is in no way undeserved. Anderson knows how to write eccentric characters whose various flaws and idiosyncracies make them relatable. With a trademark visual style that includes the use of bright color, quick pans of the camera, and slow motion shots, it will be interesting to see Anderson’s first foray into stop-motion animation on Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson-movie regulars Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray will lend their voices to the film alongside George Clooney and Meryl Streep who voice the title characters of Mr. and Mrs. Fox, respectively. Personally, I would have loved Anjelica Huston to be involved in Fantastic Mr. Fox since she perfectly portrayed the Grand High Witch in the 1990 film adaptation of Dahl’s The Witches, which just so happens to be my favorite Dahl novel.
There are no film stills or trailers available just yet, but I think we can rest assured that Fantastic Mr. Fox will be everything our childhood imagination could ever dream of. And then some.
