Fantastic Mr. Fox is the latest film from Wes Anderson. It’s an animated film in the stop motion style that fans of Wallace and Gromit will find familiar, although Mr. Anderson brings his own tone and feel to the style that make this film unique.

I’ll summarize the plot by simply saying that Mr. Fox has a conflict with some local farmers. But what makes this film so enjoyable, and it is enjoyable, are the characters. Like all of Wes Anderson’s characters these are flawed, eccentric, and wonderful. They come to life through their eccentricities and you can’t help but be fascinated by their variety. Their happiness and sadness and anger and confusion are all palpable elements of their existence and they recognize all of these things as part of themselves. They aren’t one dimensional in the least.

The look of the film is, as I’ve described, a style of stop motion animation. It’s a little clunky in places, although that brings with it its own pleasures in a world where computer graphics are so hyper sophisticated that they often hide inferior storytelling. But, clunkiness aside, there are places in the film that are quite beautiful and others that are really energetic and compelling.

George Clooney is the perfect voice for Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep fits right in as Mrs. Fox. I believe my favorite character was Ash, the Foxes son, as voiced by Jason Schwartzman, one of Mr. Anderson’s go to actors. I found myself laughing and smiling nearly every moment he was onscreen.

I think this movie is an example of a movie that adults will love, and kids will enjoy as well, certainly more than Where the Wild Things Are, which seemed more approachable for adults with fond memories of childhood than for kids themselves.

I don’t expect this to become a huge blockbuster, but I think it deserves some attention, and I hope it does well at the box office. I think those who go to see it will enjoy themselves and I’d like to see more movies like this made; where as much time is spent on character and story as is on flash and special effects.