Fantastic Mr. Fox Featurette

A small featurette about the making of Fantastic Mr. Fox has debuted online, giving us some clues as to how director Wes Anderson (Rushmore) and his crew used old-school stop-motion animation to bring the Roald Dahl classic to life.

This is more cool promotion to help make audiences aware of the film, opening in just two months on November 13, 2009.  Take a look at the featurette, which was narrated by actor Jason Schwartzman, who plays Ash, the son of Mr. Fox (played by George Clooney).

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I think it’s pretty cool and really shows Anderson taking his usual hands-on approach to directing.  Some of the things that really stood out for me, beside the old-school style of filmmaking, was seeing the actors do all their voices “in the wild.”  How cool is it to not be in a studio and thus give a more authentic read, as they do in a barn, at a farm, and so on?  Plus, seeing Clooney tumble around and deliver the signature Mr. Fox “whistle-click” was pretty funny.

One other thing that made me smile was seeing young Ash showing off to his dad while jumping into a pool.  When you were a kid, didn’t you say, “Watch this!” and do something to impress your family?  That shows me Anderson has a good grasp on childhood.  It’s small, but adds to the film.

The story follows Mr. Fox and his family and friends as they try to avoid three farmers out to stop the titular hero from grabbing their chickens.  Check out the trailer here.  Other actors include Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and more.

What do you think?  Are you getting more excited about Fantastic Mr. Fox?  Want to see a higher resolution QuickTime version?  Click on over to Apple.

Source: /Film