Fantastic Mr. Fox is a 2009 stop-motion animated film directed by Wes Anderson and starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman. It's based on the novel by Roald Dahl.
[00:00:28] Hello, welcome back to Casabloga. In this episode, I am talking about Fantastic Mr. Fox.
[00:00:35] This is the Thanksgiving episode, by the way.
[00:00:40] I know a majority of my audience is in the US, so I figured I would do a Thanksgiving episode.
[00:00:48] Normally, I don't really acknowledge Thanksgiving, because you gotta have friends and family for that nonsense.
[00:00:54] Plus, it's not really celebrated anywhere in the world.
[00:00:57] Well, I said not really celebrate. It's not celebrated anywhere in the world.
[00:01:02] So, I think I addressed this last year. I don't remember.
[00:01:06] But, yep, that's why you're seeing an extra episode this week.
[00:01:10] It is for, uh, well, the American audience, I guess.
[00:01:18] Um, I just wanted to get that out of the way.
[00:01:20] In case anyone was like, hey, why is there a...
[00:01:22] Yeah.
[00:01:23] So, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a 2009 stop-motion animated film directed by Wes Anderson,
[00:01:30] and starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman.
[00:01:35] It is a very interesting movie.
[00:01:39] I...
[00:01:39] Well, I mean, it's Wes Anderson, so it's very interesting.
[00:01:42] His movies have a very distinct style, and I always...
[00:01:46] I love...
[00:01:47] I love his style, or like, everything's centered.
[00:01:50] And there's like a certain...
[00:01:51] A certain way that like the characters, when they like describe scenarios.
[00:01:58] And it just...
[00:02:00] Oh, I...
[00:02:01] There's been so many videos...
[00:02:03] Talking about...
[00:02:06] His style.
[00:02:07] Uh, I can't even word things correctly right now.
[00:02:11] I just...
[00:02:12] Uh...
[00:02:13] His style.
[00:02:14] I just love his style.
[00:02:16] Like, uh, he did a movie last year, and I...
[00:02:20] It's the only movie of his I've seen in theaters.
[00:02:22] It was Asteroid City, and it was very good.
[00:02:24] I liked it.
[00:02:26] And...
[00:02:27] Before...
[00:02:28] You know, when I was watching the trailers, before...
[00:02:30] I saw a film by Wes Anderson, I knew immediately it was a Wes Anderson film.
[00:02:36] Because his style is that distinct.
[00:02:39] The use of stop motion in this film is...
[00:02:44] I don't know if it's the most unique use of it.
[00:02:46] I just...
[00:02:46] I don't...
[00:02:48] I don't go out of my way to watch a lot of stop motion.
[00:02:50] Honestly, it's gonna sound weird, but stop motion kind of makes me uncomfortable.
[00:02:55] Simply for the fact that I can't watch it and not think of the effort that went into it.
[00:03:02] Like, every single shot, every single frame...
[00:03:09] Had to be...
[00:03:12] Hand...
[00:03:13] Made if that...
[00:03:15] Once again, I'm not good at wording.
[00:03:19] You know what I mean.
[00:03:20] If you know anything about stop motion, you know how it works.
[00:03:22] You know what I'm talking about.
[00:03:25] Where...
[00:03:27] They...
[00:03:27] They...
[00:03:28] They pose the figures.
[00:03:30] And they take a picture.
[00:03:31] And then they...
[00:03:33] You know, they...
[00:03:34] Slightly move it.
[00:03:35] Take another picture.
[00:03:36] Slightly move it.
[00:03:37] Take a picture.
[00:03:38] And so, when you see a character, like...
[00:03:42] Walking across a room.
[00:03:43] That probably took all day to do.
[00:03:45] Or all week.
[00:03:47] Or however long it took.
[00:03:48] And this film, like, the way they do it, it's really unique.
[00:03:55] Where...
[00:03:56] They don't just...
[00:03:57] Like, whenever, like, the camera's, like, on their face.
[00:04:01] Like...
[00:04:02] When they do, like, the Wes Anderson shot of just a character centered in frame.
[00:04:07] They don't just...
[00:04:08] They easily could have just held there without the character moving.
[00:04:13] And just, you know, gave us a few seconds of just the character.
[00:04:16] And they don't have to do anything.
[00:04:17] Just, oh, hold it on the camera.
[00:04:19] But no.
[00:04:20] They do something really cool here.
[00:04:22] Where...
[00:04:23] While the camera's holding on them, like, their fur is moving.
[00:04:26] Like, to the wind.
[00:04:27] Or just...
[00:04:28] Whatever.
[00:04:29] And...
[00:04:29] I'm watching that.
[00:04:31] I'm like...
[00:04:31] The amount of effort they put into this.
[00:04:35] I'm really impressed.
[00:04:36] When I say it makes me uncomfortable, I don't mean, like, oh, I don't like watching them.
[00:04:40] It's...
[00:04:40] It's...
[00:04:41] You know, like, I don't like them.
[00:04:42] I...
[00:04:42] I love stop motion films and short films and all of them.
[00:04:46] It's just...
[00:04:47] The thing I don't like about it is, like...
[00:04:50] Knowing how much effort they put into it.
[00:04:52] It's like...
[00:04:54] You know, you could just use a computer.
[00:04:56] CG animation.
[00:04:58] They could have done that.
[00:04:59] But they didn't.
[00:05:00] They put in the extra work.
[00:05:01] And it came out really good.
[00:05:04] And I actually think...
[00:05:05] You know, I know I say that.
[00:05:06] I'm kind of joking when I say that.
[00:05:09] That, you know, you could just use a computer.
[00:05:11] You don't have to do stuff motion anymore.
[00:05:12] I'm pretty sure if they had just CG'd it, it would have looked awful.
[00:05:17] Or at least, at the very least, it wouldn't have come out looking as good.
[00:05:19] And I can't do this episode without talking about...
[00:05:23] It is based on the novel by the same name.
[00:05:28] By...
[00:05:29] I've never...
[00:05:30] I've never...
[00:05:30] I've never pronounced his name.
[00:05:32] Um...
[00:05:32] Roald Dahl?
[00:05:34] I keep wanting to say Ronald Dahl.
[00:05:37] Dahl?
[00:05:38] Dahl?
[00:05:39] I don't know.
[00:05:39] The guy that wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
[00:05:41] And he wrote James and the Giant Peach.
[00:05:44] He wrote the BFG.
[00:05:48] Um...
[00:05:49] A whole bunch.
[00:05:50] He just wrote a whole bunch.
[00:05:54] And I just realized something.
[00:05:55] I'm looking at his...
[00:05:57] Uh...
[00:05:57] Bibliography?
[00:06:00] And he wrote the wonderful story of Henry Sugar and Six More.
[00:06:06] And I did not know that.
[00:06:08] And if you don't know what that is...
[00:06:12] Well...
[00:06:13] Uh...
[00:06:14] You know how I said Wes Craven made this movie?
[00:06:19] Hi, it's me in editing.
[00:06:21] I just...
[00:06:21] I realized I said Wes Craven.
[00:06:23] Obviously, I'm in Anderson.
[00:06:25] Yeah, he's got a new movie for Netflix called The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
[00:06:31] And...
[00:06:32] And...
[00:06:33] And...
[00:06:33] Um...
[00:06:33] And three more.
[00:06:35] Same...
[00:06:36] Same one.
[00:06:39] And...
[00:06:39] I haven't seen it yet.
[00:06:41] Because my Netflix account is...
[00:06:43] Uh...
[00:06:44] I haven't paid it in a while.
[00:06:46] And I...
[00:06:49] I...
[00:06:50] I don't plan on...
[00:06:51] Okay, so like with my Netflix...
[00:06:52] A little side story here.
[00:06:55] I...
[00:06:55] Only pay for my Netflix when something comes out.
[00:06:58] Like...
[00:06:59] When Wednesday comes out.
[00:07:00] Or when...
[00:07:01] Stranger...
[00:07:01] Stranger Things 5...
[00:07:04] Comes out?
[00:07:04] Or is it 6?
[00:07:05] I don't know.
[00:07:05] I lost count.
[00:07:07] Uh...
[00:07:07] Um...
[00:07:08] I'm gonna pay for it at Christmas because...
[00:07:10] Squid Games 2 is coming out.
[00:07:15] But...
[00:07:16] I'm not paying for it for a movie.
[00:07:18] I'm just paying for it for a show.
[00:07:20] And then in the month that I have it, then I'll...
[00:07:22] You know, I'll catch up on all the stuff I missed.
[00:07:25] But...
[00:07:25] I'm not paying...
[00:07:26] Because...
[00:07:27] For me...
[00:07:29] Uh...
[00:07:29] Mine is $30 a month.
[00:07:32] And when I tell people, they're like, that can't be right.
[00:07:35] Like, yep.
[00:07:36] Then I show them, like, the...
[00:07:37] The past, uh...
[00:07:40] Payment history.
[00:07:41] And they're like, how is it $30?
[00:07:42] I'm like, I don't know!
[00:07:44] So...
[00:07:44] Yeah.
[00:07:45] I don't pay for Netflix unless I have to.
[00:07:47] And so I'm not paying for it to watch the movie.
[00:07:49] When I pay for it to watch Squid Game 2, then I'll watch that movie.
[00:07:53] In the meantime...
[00:07:55] Fantastic Fox...
[00:07:57] Has...
[00:07:58] A fully all-star cast.
[00:08:00] It is really crazy.
[00:08:02] The...
[00:08:03] The cameos...
[00:08:05] In this...
[00:08:05] This...
[00:08:06] Movie.
[00:08:08] Okay, first off, you got the main three.
[00:08:09] You got George Clooney as Mr. Fox.
[00:08:11] Meryl Streep as Mrs. Felicity Fox.
[00:08:13] Who has a first name.
[00:08:14] Mr. Fox does not have a first name.
[00:08:16] And then Jason Schwartzman as Ash Fox.
[00:08:18] Which is their son.
[00:08:19] Who also has a first name.
[00:08:21] And then you got Bill Murray.
[00:08:23] You've got...
[00:08:24] Michael Gambon as...
[00:08:26] Uh...
[00:08:26] He's one of the main antagonists.
[00:08:28] Michael Gambon was Dumbledore from Harry Potter 3 on.
[00:08:33] William Dafoe.
[00:08:34] Owen Wilson.
[00:08:36] Wes Anderson makes a cameo as a weasel.
[00:08:38] And...
[00:08:39] He has like one line and I...
[00:08:41] I laughed when I heard it.
[00:08:42] I didn't know it was Hammond's laughter.
[00:08:45] Adrian Brody.
[00:08:46] Like...
[00:08:48] You'll just like hear names.
[00:08:50] Like when Owen Wilson plays, he's like a coach.
[00:08:53] And...
[00:08:54] Like...
[00:08:54] I heard his voice.
[00:08:55] I'm like...
[00:08:55] Is that...
[00:08:56] Is that Owen Wilson?
[00:08:57] Wow!
[00:09:00] It just kind of comes out of nowhere.
[00:09:01] And then he's gone.
[00:09:02] He has like one scene.
[00:09:04] It lasts like two minutes and he's gone.
[00:09:07] And...
[00:09:07] That happens throughout this movie.
[00:09:09] You'll just hear random voices.
[00:09:10] You're like...
[00:09:10] I know that voice.
[00:09:11] I know that person.
[00:09:13] And it's kind of funny how that happens.
[00:09:14] I love it.
[00:09:15] I love it.
[00:09:17] I'm going to talk for a minute about the character of Mr. Fox.
[00:09:22] I'm not a fan of the character.
[00:09:24] I'm not sure if you're supposed to like him.
[00:09:27] You're...
[00:09:27] You know...
[00:09:27] He's the main character.
[00:09:28] So you're rooting for the hero.
[00:09:30] But is he a hero?
[00:09:31] He puts everyone in danger.
[00:09:33] He's the reason everything happens.
[00:09:37] Like...
[00:09:37] Him and his wife are living in a hole in the ground.
[00:09:39] Which...
[00:09:40] According to her...
[00:09:40] That's where foxes live.
[00:09:42] They live in holes in the ground.
[00:09:43] And that's where they belong.
[00:09:44] That's where they should stay.
[00:09:45] But Mr. Fox wants something bigger.
[00:09:47] So they move into this big tree...
[00:09:49] Tree...
[00:09:52] That brings attention to them.
[00:09:54] And then there's three farms over...
[00:09:57] Like the tree is overlooking three farms.
[00:10:00] And he...
[00:10:01] At the very beginning of the movie...
[00:10:02] Mr. Fox promises Felicity Fox that he will stop...
[00:10:06] Stop hunting chickens.
[00:10:09] Because she's pregnant.
[00:10:10] And they're going to have a family.
[00:10:11] And she wants him to stop.
[00:10:13] And he promises her...
[00:10:14] He will stop.
[00:10:16] But he does not.
[00:10:17] And that puts...
[00:10:18] All of them in danger that Twitch starts the whole plot of the movie.
[00:10:22] Because he's more interested in...
[00:10:25] What makes himself happy.
[00:10:27] And his ego.
[00:10:28] And um...
[00:10:29] I'm a wild animal.
[00:10:33] And like...
[00:10:33] And like...
[00:10:34] Everybody...
[00:10:35] At least once in the movie...
[00:10:37] Almost all of the main characters...
[00:10:39] Get onto him.
[00:10:40] Like hey...
[00:10:40] You do this.
[00:10:42] And you cause me this problems.
[00:10:44] And...
[00:10:45] He basically just like...
[00:10:47] Whistles and snaps.
[00:10:48] And he's like...
[00:10:48] Oh okay.
[00:10:49] Everything's fine now.
[00:10:50] So like...
[00:10:50] The film...
[00:10:51] Has a...
[00:10:52] Supposedly happy ending.
[00:10:54] I don't know...
[00:10:57] If...
[00:10:58] I would call that a happy ending.
[00:10:59] By the way...
[00:11:00] Spoiler alert.
[00:11:01] For like...
[00:11:02] All of this.
[00:11:02] I forgot to say that.
[00:11:03] Spoiler for the whole thing.
[00:11:05] Uh...
[00:11:06] It...
[00:11:06] It ends...
[00:11:08] With them...
[00:11:10] Popping up...
[00:11:11] At a...
[00:11:12] Oh I forgot to...
[00:11:13] I just kinda...
[00:11:14] I kinda cut like the whole middle section.
[00:11:17] The tree gets destroyed by the farmers.
[00:11:19] They have to go underground.
[00:11:21] And then...
[00:11:22] They...
[00:11:23] Them and a whole bunch of other animals have to dig around for a while.
[00:11:28] While the farmer and like...
[00:11:30] The local news and...
[00:11:31] The local people...
[00:11:33] Wait for them to come out so they can kill them.
[00:11:36] And...
[00:11:36] At the end of the film...
[00:11:38] They pop up...
[00:11:39] In a grocery store.
[00:11:42] And they were like...
[00:11:42] Oh you can eat!
[00:11:44] And then they dance in the credits roll.
[00:11:45] I'm like...
[00:11:47] That's not...
[00:11:48] That's not the happy ending you think it is.
[00:11:50] They end...
[00:11:52] Happy...
[00:11:53] In that moment.
[00:11:55] But their homes are still gone.
[00:11:57] And they can't stay in the grocery store forever.
[00:12:02] It's empty now.
[00:12:04] But give it a few hours.
[00:12:05] It's gonna open.
[00:12:07] People will be in there.
[00:12:08] And they're gonna have to run again.
[00:12:10] And...
[00:12:11] So...
[00:12:12] I don't know if they're...
[00:12:13] You know...
[00:12:14] They should be a...
[00:12:14] Okay I'm not saying they should make a sequel.
[00:12:18] But...
[00:12:19] Uh...
[00:12:20] Maybe it's just gonna...
[00:12:22] It's...
[00:12:23] The way it's ended...
[00:12:24] It implies...
[00:12:27] That...
[00:12:28] They all die in the morning.
[00:12:30] That's...
[00:12:30] That's...
[00:12:31] My takeaway.
[00:12:32] It's kind of depressing too.
[00:12:33] Not just because...
[00:12:34] Oh we've been following these characters.
[00:12:35] But the film ends with...
[00:12:36] His wife.
[00:12:37] Announcing that she's pregnant again.
[00:12:39] And so it's like...
[00:12:40] Oh yay!
[00:12:41] Happy ending!
[00:12:42] But they're going to be dead in the morning.
[00:12:44] So...
[00:12:44] Yay!
[00:12:47] But depressive ending aside...
[00:12:49] It's...
[00:12:49] It's a really good movie.
[00:12:51] I...
[00:12:51] I really like...
[00:12:52] The...
[00:12:53] Movie.
[00:12:54] Like my favorite thing about the film...
[00:12:56] It's gonna sound weird...
[00:12:57] Is the Wes Anderson of it.
[00:12:58] I don't think anybody else could have made...
[00:13:01] This...
[00:13:02] Film.
[00:13:04] I'm trying to think of this film...
[00:13:05] Like if they made...
[00:13:06] Fantastic Mr. Fox in any other style...
[00:13:09] It probably wouldn't have worked.
[00:13:12] And I can't think of...
[00:13:13] Anybody that would have worked for.
[00:13:15] I will say though...
[00:13:17] I have never read the book...
[00:13:18] So I don't know.
[00:13:19] How closely it follows.
[00:13:21] But considering how universally praised it is...
[00:13:24] I'm gonna assume it follows the book.
[00:13:26] I don't know.
[00:13:27] Usually when they change things...
[00:13:28] People are like...
[00:13:28] Oh yeah!
[00:13:29] That's not what happens in the book!
[00:13:31] Anyway...
[00:13:32] This film is...
[00:13:33] Available on Disney Plus.
[00:13:38] And...
[00:13:38] I do highly recommend it.
[00:13:40] I know I totally gave away the ending.
[00:13:43] But...
[00:13:44] Yeah.
[00:13:44] If you haven't seen it...
[00:13:45] Then...
[00:13:46] Uh...
[00:13:46] Oops.
[00:13:47] Spoiler!
[00:13:50] If you haven't seen it...
[00:13:52] If you want to see it again...
[00:13:56] I recommend it.
[00:13:57] It's on Disney Plus.
[00:14:00] And...
[00:14:01] Cut!