So, if you are a fervent reader of my blog, you know that I was blown away by Up, even listing it as the best animated film of the decade. Well, maybe I spoke too soon. This weekend my wife and I finally were able to catch this Oscar nominated gem of a movie, and I suggest you follow suit.
I was a fan of James and the Giant Peach as a child, but I never read anything else by Dahl. Maybe I should (in fact, I assume I will as my son gets older). This is an engaging story of a sly fox who cannot shake his criminal habits, even after starting a family and promising his wife he will change his ways. Sounds eerily familiar (except I had no criminal habits, just selfish ones). As wonderful as the story is, and even with a who's who list of famous voices (Clooney shines in a performance right up with Up in the Air), the film belongs to its director, the talented Wes Anderson. His vision translates beautifully into the animation genre. At this time, I would rank the film as required viewing for anyone who enjoyed Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson's bars of excellence).
While animated films of late are made to look realistic, this film's stop motion animation is perfect, even awe inspiring at times. Some may have been put off by this technique; however, it actually enhances the film. In fact, I would welcome more films shot in this style as opposed to another computer generated 3-D "cartoonastrophe. "
One caveat, this film is more suited for adults than children (or at least I think adults will appreciate the film more), even though it is an adaptation of a children's book. However, I would hope older kids would appreciate both the story, and the film itself. I can't wait until my son and I can watch films of this caliber togehther.
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