'Mr. Fox' a fantastic film

CASEY PHILLIPS: Since I'm first, I'll meet the pun head on -- this film is fantastic. Director Wes Anderson has done a masterful job preserving his trademark sly-eyed pathos in the context of Roald Dahl's whimsical short story.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" stands out for its stop-motion animation and a design reminiscent of quirky animated flicks like "Coraline" and "Corpse Bride." Considering many members of "Mr. Fox's" art department are veterans of those projects, that makes sense.

But visuals alone don't make a great film. Fortunately, "Mr. Fox" is driven by a cast of high caliber. George Clooney, Bill Murray and Meryl Streep are the obvious heavy hitters, but Jason Schwartzman is the sleeper. His performance as Ash, a barb-tongued young fox with delusions of grandeur and a serious Napoleon complex, is easily the film's most memorable.

HOLLY LEBER: I'm going to venture a guess that this might not be the first review to refer to Anderson's latest as "fantastic," but that doesn't make it any less true. The attention to detail is admirable, particularly in the color palette. Consisting mostly of autumnal reds, oranges, yellows and browns, the film looks warm and welcoming. Because the main characters blend well with the background, the world of "Mr. Fox" seems to be made for the titular character and his family.

Poorly conceived animated movies can make "animation" code for "look how cute we can be," but "Mr. Fox" stands as a film that can be appreciated by all ages. Anderson reteams with his "Life Aquatic" co-writer, Noah Baumbach ("The Squid and the Whale"), on "Mr. Fox," and their pop-indie signature is all over the film. Wonder why Mrs. Baumbach, a.k.a. actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, didn't take on a cameo. Adrien Brody, who appeared in "The Darjeeling Limited" had a bit part as a field mouse. Anderson's films are always a bit of a family affair; here, brother Eric voices visiting nephew Kristofferson, the athletic, meditating fox who makes Schwartzmann's Ash feel just a little more inferior than he already does.

CASEY: Anderson is one of the most distinctive directors in the business, and it's interesting to see how he and his acting posse apply his unorthodox, bittersweet comedic style to this, his first adaptation. Not having read Dahl's original, I can't speak to authenticity of the interpretation, but the results are admirable for their ability to retain child-like sensibilities with adult-light impish humor.

HOLLY: Well, Dahl also had an impish humor, as Casey called it. The marriage of style works. In fact, if Anderson wants to take on an adaptation of Dahl's "BFG" (for Big Friendly Giant) I'd be very supportive. His first attempt adapting the work of another went quite well indeed.

CASEY: Personally, I'd love to see Cher star in Anderson's take on "The Witches."