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Book Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

June's book club genre was "Book to Movie" - mostly so everyone else could go see The Fault in Our Stars (um no thanks, too depressing). I had a hard time finding a book this month because initially I required the movie to already be on netflix, plus I had to discount all the books and/or movies I'd already seen. I was going to go with a sappy romance (so unlike me!), but then decided on a kids book. I figured this wasn't quite cheating as I'm reading my way through Game of Thrones right now, and that sort of fits with the genre!



June 2014: Book to Movie



Fantastic Mr. Fox



By Roald Dahl

1970

56 pages



Mr. Fox is a professional thief, and the evil farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean are his main targets. One day the farmers decide they've had enough, and set out to find and kill Mr. Fox. In doing so, they destroy the foxes neighbourhood and endanger the lives of all the other burrowing animals who live there. No worries though, clever Mr. Fox devises an ingenious way to feed his family and all the neighbours, while keeping the farmers at bay.



This was a cute and clever book. I've read a lot of Roald Dahl's books but never this one, and I'm glad I did. The familiar illustrations transported me back to my childhood and the Brit speak reminded me of The London Years. Written a long time ago and with a British mentality, it's quite graphic for children, but then again, video games are rotting their minds anyways so I'm sure the murderous text bothered me more than it bothers the wee kiddies.




"How will they kill us, mummy?" asked one of the Small Foxes. His round black eyes were huge with fright. "Will there be dogs?" he said. (p. 18)





"I refuse to let you go up there and face those guns. I'd sooner you stay down here and die in peace." (p. 28)



I read this book via a public library ebook, which isn't quite how I like to read books but at least I could increase the font up to large for my old lady eyes. The whole time I was reading it I was thinking that it would make a good movie and I was looking very forward to seeing the movie adaption...







Fantastic Mr. Fox

Directed by Wes Anderson

2009

87 minutes



...which was...different. Obviously they needed to fill out details to
make an entire movie (it's a short kids novel), but everything
was...quite different. Not bad different, just different. 



I didn't know the name of the director until the end, and well, that explains everything. In hindsight, it is very much a Wes Anderson movie and as such is quite clever and entertaining. But again, quite different from the book. It's an interestingly visual movie because it was all stop-motion/claymation, which gives it an neat look. It must've taken them for-ever to film!



I enjoyed the movie, but as usual with Book to Movie titles, the book was better. Both are highly recommended for kids and adults alike though!


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