Fantastic Mr Fox

        The way that Wes Anderson utilises environments in his first foray into animation is not so very far removed from how he depicts them in his live action films. The flat, almost 2 dimensional landscapes, and vibrant colour palettes of his latest feature, The Grand Budapest Hotel, were so strikingly alike to the style of Fantastic Mr Fox that it was hard to shake the feeling that some of the former was also animated.

 

Both films utilise landscape shots from very flat perspectives, which almost appear as though they are on layers, like a theatrical set.

        Such a distinctive style is suitable for an animation based on the surreal imagination of Roald Dahl, in an equally surreal story where woodland creatures worry about real estate opportunities, midlife crises, family dynamics, and the titular fox's addiction to thieving on the sly from the local farmers causes a rift in the neighbourhood. The sense of disorientation created by the contrast between the characters' animal appearances and human sensibilities is heightened by odd proportions; there are scenes where it seems that the environments and characters are created separately, rather than as a whole. This is particularly apparent in the digging scenes, where the underground tunnels, shown in cross section to allow us to see the animals within, seem more like an illustration (such as the in depth houses of Brambly Hedge) than a stop motion set.

 

        However, the sense that you are watching a story book come to life is certainly appropriate, as the film does indeed begin with the traditional device of a book opening, and the camera zooming into it. Aside from the unusual proportions, the pop up style is accentuated by Anderson's manipulation of perspective; the way that the characters move around in the static landscapes is not consistent with 'reality', as they can appear far in the distance one moment, before pooping up unexpectedly in the foreground. Unusually, the camera never really pans through the environments to show their depth. Instead, Anderson maintains a distance, tracking left and right, with few high or low angle shots offering a different perspective to the story book framing. Similarly, the characters more often than not move in straight lines from side to side or front to back, as though the background is an flat picture rather than 3D environment.

 

        The cosy picture book effect is carried further by the warm colour palette. Even in it's most perilous moments, Anderson's film rarely abandons the autumnal yellows and oranges, which imply a pastoral idyll and nostalgic charm, and leave the viewer with the impression that no matter what obstacles Mr Fox may be facing, he is in no real danger, and will triumph over the farmers.