Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)
| Fantastic Mr. Fox | |
|---|---|
| File:Fantastic-mrfox-logo.jpg Logo | |
| Directed by | Wes Anderson |
| Written by | Wes Anderson Noah Baumbach (screenplay) Roald Dahl (book) |
| Produced by | Wes Anderson Scott Rudin Allison Abbate Steven Rales |
| Starring | George Clooney Cate Blanchett Anjelica Huston Jason Schwartzman Bill Murray Meryl Streep |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | November 6, 2009 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop motion animated film by Blue Sky Studios based on Roald Dahl's book of the same name, which will be released on November 6, 2009. It stars the voices of George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Meryl Streep. It is the first animated film directed by Wes Anderson. Development began in 2004 as collaboration between Anderson and Henry Selick (who worked with Anderson on the 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) under Revolution Studios. Revolution folded, Selick left to direct Coraline, and the project moved to Fox Animation Studios. Production began in London in 2007. Anderson chose to record voices outside of a studio. S
Plot
A clever fox (Clooney) constantly outwits three evil farmers who are angry with him for eating their produce.
Cast
- George Clooney as Mr. Fox[1]
- Cate Blanchett as Mrs. Fox[2]
- Bill Murray as Mr. Badger[3]
- Jason Schwartzman[1]
- Anjelica Huston[4]
- Meryl Streep[5]
Production
Joe Roth and Revolution Studios bought the film rights to Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2004. Wes Anderson signed on as director with Henry Selick, who worked with Anderson on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, as animation director. Anderson signed on because Roald Dahl is one of his heroes.[6] In adapting the novel, the story the novel covers would amount to the second act of the film. Anderson added new scenes to serve for the film's beginning and end.[7] Selick left the project to work on the Neil Gaiman story Coraline in early 2006.[8] Mark Gustafson is his replacement.[9] Fox Animation Studios became the project's home in October 2006 after Revolution folded.[10]
In September 2007, Anderson announced voice work would begin.[1] The director chose to record the voices outside of a studio: "We went out in a forest, [..] went in an attic, [and] went in a stable. We went underground for some things. There was a great spontaneity in the recordings because of that."[9] He said of the production design, "We want to use real trees and real sand, but it’s all miniature."[1] Great Missenden, where Roald Dahl lived, has a major influence on the film's look.[6] The film mixes several forms of animation but consists primarily of stop motion.[10] Animation took place in London,[9] with Anderson directing the crew who animated Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.[11] Selick, who kept in contact with Anderson, said the director would act out scenes while in Paris and send them to the animators via iPhone.[12]
Jarvis Cocker has written "three, four" songs for the film.[13] The American Cathedral in Paris's choir were also hired to sing a four-line poem in the film.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d Josh Horowitz (2007-09-26). "Wes Anderson Enlists Bill Murray For 'The Fantastic Mr. Fox'". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ^ Josh Horowitz (2007-10-09). "Cate Blanchett Ready To Re-team With Edgar Wright And Voice Mrs. Fox". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ Max Evry (2008-10-09). "Talking to City of Ember Mayor Bill Murray". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ Stella Papamichael (2006-02-15). "Interview with Wes Anderson". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ Michael Fleming (2008-08-06). "Streep in deep with Meyers". Variety. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ a b "The Darjeeling Limited: Who needs a film set in LA when you have a speeding train in India?". The Telegraph. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "Selick Crazy For Fox". Sci Fi Wire. 2004-12-15. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "Selick no longer at work on The Fantastic Mr. Fox". Ain't It Cool News. 2006-02-15. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ a b c Joe Utichi (2007-11-22). "Interview: Wes Anderson talks Darjeeling Limited and Mr. Fox". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ a b Michael Fleming (2006-10-25). "Fox catches Dahl's Fox". Variety. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ Edward Douglas (2009-02-02). "Henry Selick on Making Coraline". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ Steve Prokopy (2009-02-02). "Capone Talks with CORALINE Director and Wizard Master Henry Selick!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ Brent DiCrescenzo (2008-07-17). "From the UK to the Magic Kingdom". Time Out. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ John Lichfield (2009-01-12). "My daughters' Oscars surely await". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
