Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox is a cinematic masterpiece that deserves more attention than it received. It is based on Roald Dahl’s best-selling novel by the same title and absolutely did the book justice.

For starters, the stop-motion animation is phenomenal. From the textures and expression to the colors and detail, this movie is pleasing to the eye and is guaranteed to impress even the strictest art critics.

With a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the top movie critics states, “Visually, the movie is a wonder, with its profusion of detail and exquisitely focussed ‘performances’ by the figurines, whom Anderson frames in images as precisely composed as those in his live-action work” (Richard Brody).

The movements of the characters are so lifelike and smooth, it’s easy to forget it’s even stop motion in the first place.

On top of the outstanding animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox is extremely clever and witty. It ensures a laugh out of both children and adults throughout the entirety of the movie. George Clooney and Meryl Streep’s voice acting adds to the comedic effect for the duration of the film, what with the timing and tone.

Just another reason why this movie deserves so much more recognition is because of the exceptional color schemes. The striking oranges, reds, and yellows add a comfortable but also aesthetically pleasing look that compliments the animation and movement. Because of these warm colors, Fantastic Mr. Fox leaves you feeling snug and cozy.

Adding on to these reasons, Wes Anderson’s film style perfectly captures the story of Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson uses symmetrical editing, which is when elements in the film are matched between different shots. Along with this, he also tends to zoom and pan during shots and makes everything extremely exaggerated. For example, the colors in his films pop and there is a sense of vintage flair incorporated with the costumes and video quality.

Journalist Zoe Morgan writes, “Anderson also presents a characteristic brightness, saturation and hue in his films” (Unpacking Wes Anderson’s Cinematic Style, Zoe Morgan). This is shown in Fantastic Mr. Fox when the video quality is a little more vintage and the quality is purposely dialed down a bit to give it that vintage effect. When all of these elements are combined together, it creates the perfect movie.