Fantastic Mr. Fox: Difference between revisions

 

 

''Were none the less equally mean!"'' }}

 

 

Based on the story of the same name by [[Roald Dahl]], but greatly [[Adaptation Expansion|expands upon its premise]], focusing upon Mr. Fox's family's dynamic, and the town's attempt to outwit the farmers.

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* [[108]]: The combined workforce of the three farms.

* [[The Ace]]: Kristofferson, a fox kid who seemingly can do no wrong, much to Ash's frustration who sees everyone, including his own father, belittling him in comparison. Subverted in that Kris is a soft-spoken nice guy who, while he will not hide his talents, never wanted to embarrass his cousin. Ash finally realizes that when he is harassed by a bully and Kris kicks that bully's ass in his cousin's defense. {{spoiler|Furthermore, when Kris gets captured, Ash helps rescue him and impresses everyone to his own talents, allowing the kids to fully make peace and become friends.}}

* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: Mr. Fox only has one child for most of the movie. He has four in the book.

* [[Adaptation Expansion]]: The book ends after the animals have made their secret tunnels to the farms while the farmers keep watch outside the hole. The movie adds another two or three parts of the battle.

* [[Alas, Poor Villain]]: In-universe example. All the animals are saddened by the death of Rat, even Fox himself (who dealt the killing blow), despite his being the traitorous head of security for farmer Bean. In fairness, Rat did manage to [[Heel Realisation|come to his senses at last]] in his few final moments when he revealed that he had turned traitor because he had become too addicted to the apple cider of Bean.

* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: Partly. Though it made her regret marrying him, Felicity can't help falling for his "fantastic" wild animal nature.

* [[Badass Boast]]: "Your tractors uprooted my tree. Your posse hunted my family. Your gunmen kidnapped my nephew. Your rat insulted my wife -- and you shot off my tail.(steely) I’m not leaving here without that necktie."

** Subverted almost immediately afterward when the farmer's workforce replies with a hail of bullets. "Okay, nevermind, let's get out of here."

** [[The One Who Wears Shoes]]: Kris, Coach Skip, and Beaver's son are the only animal characters in the entire movie to wear shoes.

* [[Berserk Button]]: Bean does not like the idea of giving up against a fox.

* [[Best Beer Ever]]:

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Kristofferson is a soft-spoken fox kit, but if you dare bully his cousin, Ash, you are in for a world of hurt with only the mercy being attacked shoeless to avoid breaking your muzzle.

** The equally quiet Mrs. Fox also permanently scars her husband in a fit of anger, threatens Rat with a length of padlocked chain, and proves to be pretty handy with improvised explosives.

* [[Be Yourself]]: Deconstructed. Mrs. Fox forcing her husband to not Be Himself is what kicks off the plot, and his [[Snap Back]] has fairly dramatic consequences, including {{spoiler|her regretting their marriage}}. The benefit of following this trope is ambiguous.

* [[Big, Thin, Short Trio]]: Boggis, Bunce and Bean (One fat, one short, one lean).

* [[Cut and Paste Note]]: The farmers and the animals each send the other side a cut and paste note, despite the fact that they already know each other's identities. They [[Lampshade Hanging|hang a lampshade]] by having each side ask aloud why the other did this.

* [[Damned By Faint Praise|Cussed By Faint Praise]]:

'''Coach Skip:''' Well, you're sure as cuss not getting any ''worse''. }}

* [[Dance Party Ending]]: {{spoiler|The movie ends with the foxes [[My Friends and Zoidberg|and Kylie]] dancing in the supermarket to the tune of The Bobby Fuller Four's ''Let Her Dance''.}}

* [[Food Porn]]: Despite the feast obviously being fabricated, it still looked delicious. Also the cider cellar in all its golden glory.

* [[Four-Fingered Hands]]: At least on the animals (and it looks just a bit weird).

* [[Funny Background Event]]: During the ambush, you can see a graffiti saying CUSS!

* [[Furry Confusion]]: So you have a dazzling array of anthropomorphic animals who act exactly like humans (and can ''converse'' with them!) but are treated like animals by the humans, despite driving motorbikes and the like. And then you have the actual birds which they eat. Maybe just mammals are intelligent? But then you have the farmers' dogs and horses and {{spoiler|the wolf who looks like an actual wolf.}}

* [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: The camera pans down to the lower level of the chicken coop as Mr. Fox kills Kylie's chicken for him.

* [[Gosh Dang It to Heck]]: Instead of a [[Sound Effect Bleep]], the characters literally say "cuss" in the place of swearing. Is a very clever variation of [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|Getting Cuss Past The Radar]]. Examples:

"What the swearing cuss?!" }}

* [[Hot Mom]]: Mrs. Fox is apparently this in-universe for the animal characters.

** And a [[Furry Fandom|prominent]] few of the viewers.

* [[How Do You Like Them Apples?]]: Mr. Fox is shown biting into an apple at the beginning of the film, shortly before getting trapped and setting off the plot.

** Bean also has the tunnel vision, intense focus, and general demeanor of a violent alcoholic with a hair trigger. Plausible for someone who is said to live on his own hard cider.

* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: The farmers and snipers shoot away the wooden crates the gang is hiding behind until they are outlined, then Ash runs a gauntlet while they fire enough ammo at him to supply the Normandy Invasion.

* [[Jabba Table Manners]], Subverted: All of the animals eat like wild animals, but all act like civilized individuals.

* [[Just Eat Him]]:

'''Kylie:''' I'm trying! My teeth don't work like yours. }}

* [[Knife Nut]]: Rat carries a switchblade.

* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: Both sides comment quizzically on the {{spoiler|notes cut out of magazines, sent to each other.}}

* [[Loveable Rogue]]: Mr Fox plays this archetype oh so straight. Especially when [[Fridge Logic]] kicks in. Also acts as a deconstruction, he constantly needs to be the centre of attention, disappointed if he doesn't leave others awestruck. This leads to his compulsion which nearly tears his family apart and gets them killed.

* [[Masochist's Meal]]:

* [[Meaningful Background Event]]: {{spoiler|Rat}} is visible in the background behind Mr. Fox for about a minute before he announces his presence. While not as dramatic, the helicopter that's been puttering back and forth throughout the movie also counts.

* [[Midlife Crisis Car|Midlife Crisis House]]: The tree that Mr. Fox can't really afford is one of these, a way to avoid feeling "poor".

* [[My Girl Is Not a Slut]]: Heavily implied that before she settled down with Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox very much averted this.

'''Fox:''' Shut up. }}

'''Mr. Fox:''' What?! Since when?! }}

* [[Nice Guy]]: Kylie, the opossum. As Mr. Fox puts it, his special skill is "being available."

* [[Phrase Catcher]]: Ash. He's... *spastic arm gesturing* ''different''.

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|Pre Cuss Kicking One Liner]]: Subverted. Though Mr. Fox makes a speech to the farmers that could definitely qualify as one, it ultimately ends in him cowering in fear as they open fire on him.

** Kristofferson has one before beating the cuss out of beaver's son.

'''Kristofferson:''' So I don't break your nose when I kick it. }}

* [[Prisoner Exchange]]: Neither side has any intention of keeping up their end of the bargain.

* [[Psycho for Hire]]: Rat is employed as Bean's security guard over the cider cellar. {{spoiler|As he's dying, he reveals he originally took the job for the cider rather than the thrill of fighting off and catching intruders.}}

* [[Pyromaniac]] / [[Mad Bomber]]: Badger, who is a ''lawyer''.

* [[Retraux]]: Blatantly so. Much of the animation takes inspiration from early pioneers of stop motion, such as Willis O'Brian and [[Ray Harryhausen]], and they even intentionally add imperfections to the fur, which is similar to a more unintentional instance in [[King Kong]].

* [[Rule of Three]]: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.

* [[Scars Are Forever]]: {{spoiler|Mr Fox's tail becomes detachable, permanently. Also the cut Mrs. Fox gives him that remains throughout the film.}}

* [[Second Face Smoke]]: Present if a little modified in Mr Bean's critique of a freestyle song.

** There's also one to [[Rebel Without a Cause]]: During one of Mr. and Mrs. Fox's arguments, Kylie appears wearing a red blanket, quoting Dean's famous speech "You say one thing, he says another, and everybody changes back again!", only missing the infamous "You're tearing me apart!".

** "Beagles love blueberries" is a fairly obvious reference to the same drugging technique in 'Danny', another of Dahl's books. (Pheasants love raisins.)

* [[Showdown At High Noon]]: Referenced in the exchange.

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: Ash enjoys wearing a feminine wool sweater and a lacy cape.

* [[Wingding Eyes]]: Kylie's eyes will change to spirals when he zones out. When the dogs and {{spoiler|Boggis}} pass out (or something like it), their eyes turn into asterisks. The dead poultry and {{spoiler|Rat}} have X's for eyes.

* [[X-Ray Sparks]]: Kylie and Mr. Fox's skeletons show through when they climb the electric fence. {{spoiler|So does Rat's during his fight with Mr. Fox in the underground transformer room.}}

 

* [[Better to Die Than Be Killed]]

* [[Title Drop]]

** And a couple of other places.

 

[[Category:The Millennium Age of Animation]]

[[Category:Films of the 2000s]]