I feel sorta obligated to watch this every fall, and since tomorrow is December 1st (legally making it winter) I knew I had to revisit this.

I like this movie. That uh, that being said, there’s something about this movie that turns me off more than I’d like. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but this feels more like an imitation of Wes Anderson than actually Wes Anderson. The dialogue often feels too stilted and a lot of the comedic moments feel too forced. It’s weird, what makes Wes Anderson is incredibly hyper-specific but there’s always an incredible line being walked between artifice and complete open naturalism. I think with the stop motion, even if it’s brilliantly animated, it often feels like the open naturalism is all gone. So while everything about the film is fantastically fleshed out and well realized, the crucial element that holds Wes Anderson movies from feeling gimmicky misses the mark a bit for me. Don’t feel too bad though, I still like it a lot! And every time I watch it I find something new to appreciate. This watch was the watch I think I finally found a meaning in the Wolf scene. I see it as Mr. Fox’s fear of growing old and past his prime. People call the later part of their life their “autumn years” and not much is more autumn than this movie. The casting of George Clooney and Meryl Streep also is brilliant as they both culturally represent people who age with grace but still have a youthful vibe. The movie also brings a lot of attention to the passage of time and how time passes quickly for foxes. It’s clear to Mr. Fox that his glory days are just about over and that’s what drives a lot of his actions. So I’m happy to finally have gotten some meaning there.