Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop motion animated film based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, which will be released on November 13, 2009 by 20th Century Fox Animation. It stars the voices of Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray. 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.

The story is about a fox named Mr Fox (George Clooney). At night, he steals chickens, ducks, and turkeys from three mean, stinky and wealthy farmers — Boggis, Bunce and Bean — to feed his family. The farmers are fed up with this and try everything to kill him. One night they wait outside his foxhole in an attempt to ambush him. When Mr Fox emerges from his home, they fire at him but only succeed in blowing off his tail.

Determined to catch him, the farmers use spades and shovels to dig their way into the foxes’ home, but Mr and Mrs Fox (Meryl Streep) and their four children dig a tunnel deeper into the ground and manage to escape. The farmers even resort to using bulldozers in order to dig deeper into the ground, but to no avail.

The three men therefore decide to play a waiting game, keeping watch on the entrance to the tunnel with shotguns at the ready, while their men patrol the area to make sure the foxes don’t escape.

After three days of starving, Mr Fox comes up with a plan. He and his children dig further on and end up in Boggis’ number one chicken house. There they steal some chickens and depart without leaving any sign of their presence there. They also raid Bunce’s storehouse of ducks, geese and vegetables and Bean’s underground cellar of apple cider.

Along the way they meet Badger (Bill Murray) and other digging animals who are also starving due to the farmers’ siege of the hillside. Mr Fox, feeling responsible for the whole affair, invites the other animals to a feast made from the loot and they all decide to make an underground town where they will be safe, while discreetly obtaining food from the farmers.

Meanwhile Boggis, Bunce and Bean keep guard on the tunnel entrance in pouring rain, unaware that Mr Fox and his friends are stealing their food right under their noses. The book ends with the indication the three will be waiting forever.