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Three hosts of the 3 Guys and a Flick movie review podcast with movie-themed background.
🎙 Podcast Episode 218

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Join the Guys as they dig into Wes Anderson’s beautifully weird stop-motion gem — where George Clooney’s charming fox can’t stop stealing chickens, Meryl Streep keeps the family grounded, Ash wants to be an athlete, and every “cuss” in the movie feels like the classiest swear word you’re allowed to say.

Release Date November 13, 2009
Runtime 87 minutes
Director Wes Anderson
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3 Guys and a Flick — Episode 218

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

ⓘ Details

Movie TitleFantastic Mr. Fox
Release DateLondon Film Festival premiere: October 14, 2009 / U.S. theatrical release: November 13, 2009
TaglineDig the life fantastic.
Runtime87 minutes
DirectorWes Anderson
Screenplay Written ByWes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
Based OnRoald Dahl’s 1970 children’s book Fantastic Mr. Fox
Is It a Remake?No. It is a stop-motion animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book.
BudgetApproximately $40 million
Box OfficeApprox. $21.0 million domestic / Approx. $58.1 million worldwide
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👥 Main Cast

George ClooneyMr. Fox
Meryl StreepMrs. Fox / Felicity Fox
Jason SchwartzmanAsh Fox
Eric Chase AndersonKristofferson Silverfox
Bill MurrayClive Badger
Willem DafoeRat
Michael GambonFranklin Bean
Owen WilsonCoach Skip
Wallace WolodarskyKylie Sven Opossum
Adrien BrodyRickity the Field Mouse
Brian CoxAction 12 Reporter
Jarvis CockerPetey
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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Animated Feature Film
⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat
⭐ Golden Globe Nominee — Best Animated Feature Film
⭐ BAFTA Nominee — Best Animated Film
⭐ Annie Awards — Multiple nominations, including recognition for animation, directing, writing, voice acting, and production design.
⭐ National Board of Review Winner — Special Filmmaking Achievement for Wes Anderson
⭐ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Winner — Best Animation
⭐ IMDb lists the film with 33 wins and 72 nominations.
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📖 Short Plot Summary

Mr. Fox has left behind his dangerous life of stealing birds and settled into domestic comfort with Mrs. Fox and their son Ash. But after moving the family into a tree near the farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, Mr. Fox gives in to his wild instincts and launches one last series of raids. The farmers retaliate with brutal force, driving the Fox family and the surrounding animal community underground. To survive, Mr. Fox must outwit the farmers, protect his family, and finally admit that being fantastic is not much use if it gets everyone else nearly cussed to death.
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❝ Key Quotes

“I understand what you’re saying, and your comments are valuable, but I’m gonna ignore your advice.” — Mr. Fox
“Are you cussing with me?” — Mr. Fox
“I’m different.” — Ash
“We’re wild animals.” — Mr. Fox
“There’s a lot of attitudes going on around here. Don’t let me get one.” — Coach Skip
“I love you, but I should never have married you.” — Mrs. Fox
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💡 Trivia

Director

  • Fantastic Mr. Fox was directed by Wes Anderson.
  • The screenplay was written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach.
  • The film was Anderson’s first animated feature and his first stop-motion film.
  • AFI describes the film as being based on Roald Dahl’s 1970 book of the same name.
  • Anderson’s symmetrical framing, dry humor, family tension, chapter-like structure, and carefully arranged visual style translate directly into the stop-motion world.
  • The movie expands Dahl’s shorter book into a larger story about midlife crisis, family expectations, wild instincts, and community survival.

Cast / Casting

  • George Clooney voices Mr. Fox, giving the character a mix of charm, arrogance, insecurity, and old-school movie-star confidence.
  • Meryl Streep voices Mrs. Fox, grounding the story with warmth, frustration, and emotional authority.
  • Jason Schwartzman voices Ash, Mr. Fox’s insecure son who feels overshadowed by his cousin Kristofferson.
  • Eric Chase Anderson, Wes Anderson’s brother and frequent collaborator, voices Kristofferson.
  • Bill Murray voices Clive Badger, Mr. Fox’s lawyer and one of the most Wes Anderson-coded animals imaginable.
  • Willem Dafoe voices Rat, while Michael Gambon voices the ruthless farmer Franklin Bean.

Soundtrack / Score

  • The original score was composed by Alexandre Desplat.
  • Desplat’s score earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.
  • The soundtrack also uses songs by artists including The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Burl Ives, Bobby Fuller Four, and Jarvis Cocker.
  • Jarvis Cocker appears in the film as Petey and performs the in-universe song about Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.
  • The music mixes folk, orchestral whimsy, pop nostalgia, and adventure-movie rhythms to match the film’s handmade storybook feel.

Location

  • The film’s story is set in a stylized countryside inspired by Roald Dahl’s English world.
  • AFI notes that the production is based on Dahl’s book, originally published in New York in 1970.
  • Animation production involved major stop-motion work in London.
  • The filmmakers used miniature sets, puppets, textures, and autumnal color palettes to create the film’s tactile world.
  • The setting feels both British storybook and unmistakably Wes Anderson: farms, tunnels, tree houses, school sports, newspaper offices, and secret underground feasts.

Behind-The-Scenes

  • The movie was made using stop-motion animation with physical puppets and miniature sets.
  • Wes Anderson recorded much of the voice cast outside traditional studio booths, including sessions on farms and natural locations, to capture a looser ensemble feel.
  • The puppets were deliberately given visible fur movement, creating a textured, handmade look instead of smoothing out every frame.
  • The film’s budget is commonly listed at approximately $40 million.
  • Box office reporting lists the worldwide gross around $58.1 million.
  • The film premiered as the opening film of the 2009 BFI London Film Festival before its theatrical release.

Nostalgia

  • Fantastic Mr. Fox has grown into one of Wes Anderson’s most beloved films.
  • The movie sits at the sweet spot between Roald Dahl’s mischievous children’s-story energy and Anderson’s adult anxieties about parenting, identity, and failure.
  • Its handmade stop-motion style gives the film a warm, analog feel that stands apart from the slicker computer-animated films of the same era.
  • The invented use of “cuss” became one of the film’s most quoted jokes.
  • For many viewers, this is the rare family film that plays just as well for adults who are trying not to become their own most annoying animal instincts.

Easter Eggs

  • The three farmers — Boggis, Bunce, and Bean — come directly from Roald Dahl’s original story.
  • The film’s chapter titles and storybook pacing echo the structure of classic children’s literature.
  • Mr. Fox’s whistle-click sound became a recurring signature gesture for the character.
  • The character names, uniforms, maps, labels, and carefully arranged props are pure Wes Anderson visual language.
  • The wolf scene near the end works as both a literal wild-animal encounter and a symbolic reminder of what Mr. Fox has been wrestling with the whole movie.

Misc.

  • Fantastic Mr. Fox is rated PG.
  • Box Office Mojo classifies the film under adventure, animation, comedy, crime, drama, and family genres.
  • The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.
  • AFI Movie Club calls it Wes Anderson’s meticulous stop-motion masterpiece and highlights its star-studded voice cast.
  • Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 218, with Don rating it 5.00, Ken rating it 4.25, Jon rating it 4.00, and an overall rating of 4.42.
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🔗 Sources Cited

3 Guys and a Flick — Podcast 218: Fantastic Mr. Fox 3 Guys and a Flick — Ratings IMDb — Fantastic Mr. Fox IMDb — Full Cast & Crew IMDb — Awards IMDb — Quotes IMDb — Taglines IMDb — Soundtrack AFI Catalog — Fantastic Mr. Fox AFI Movie Club — Fantastic Mr. Fox Box Office Mojo — Fantastic Mr. Fox The Numbers — Fantastic Mr. Fox Rotten Tomatoes — Fantastic Mr. Fox Metacritic — Fantastic Mr. Fox The Academy — 2010 Oscars Wikipedia — Fantastic Mr. Fox
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