The Last Movie I Saw

I generally have a kind of blind spot when it comes to animated films. I don't know why exactly, but even when they're pretty good they put me to sleep. I just find it very tough to generate much interest in a feature length cartoon (unlike, say, an 8-minute Bugs Bunny short). But when I heard that Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach had an animated movie coming out, I couldn't weait to see it. To me Anderson is on of a very short list of filmmakers (Baumbach is close to making it himself) whose name in the credits means that I will make every effort to see a film. I say this knowing that many find his works kind of formalistic and stiff. But I consider The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou to be possibly the most heartwarming movie of the last generation, and Rushmore is not far behind. Baumbach's resume includes Kicking and Screaming and Mr. Jealousy, for which I also have a lot of affection. Between the two of them, they've practically defined the genre of men, young or old, coming to terms with what it means to grow up, or perhaps better to say, to confront and embrace the challenges of maturity. Their new collaboration The Fantastic Mr. Fox continues their exploration of that theme, and it was more than enough to keep me awake for the duration. The animation is very old-fashioned: stop-action instead of computer-based, which gives the film a classic feel (think of the Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, though this movie isn't quite that rudimentary). The method contributes to a very structured and choreographed visual look for the film (consistent with the aforementioned formalism of Anderson's usual non-animated style), which suits the moralistic nature of the narrative to a "T" (by which I mean it matches the familiar formula associated with a fable). In addition to the visual inventiveness, there is both drama and comedy in more or less equal doses, with the humor ultimately coming out ahead in defining the overall tone. And, there's a great if somewhat obscure Bobby Fuller Four tune on the soundtrack. I'm really looking forward to seeing this again, and trust me, it's not because I need a nap.