Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is quite adept at raiding chicken coops. However, during one of these raids with his wife, Mrs. Felicity Fox (Meryl Streep), as a trap falls around them, she announces that she's pregnant. Fast forward two years (12 in fox years) and Mr. Fox has given up his wayward ways and become a columnist for the local newspaper. They have a son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman), who is a tad "different".

All is going well except Mr. Fox isn't happy. He longs for a better home, one that isn't below ground. Much to the dismay of his attorney, Badger (Bill Murray), he proceeds to purchase a tree house, with an opossum super, Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky). The real draw of the new abode for Mr. Fox is the fact that it overlooks three huge properties owned by farmers, Bean (Michael Gambon), Boggis and Bunce. He intends to raid them all.

Although there are parts of this film that are highly entertaining and scenes that are very amusing, I was not totally enamored with "Fantastic Mr. Fox". Clooney is terrific as the fast-talking, sly but loveable Mr. Fox. I must admit that I was a little thrown off by Streep playing his wife. She sounds more grandmotherly to me than she does someone's wife. Perhaps it's because we know the players in real life. Streep is somewhat older than Clooney. Whatever the answer, I didn't find her suitable for the role.

The subplot swirling around the foxhole is the rivalry between Ash and his cousin, Kris (Eric Chase Anderson), who comes to live with the Foxes because his own father has double pneumonia. Kris is everything Ash is not --- good at sports (Mr. Fox was a whackbat champion in school --- Ash stinks --- Kris is superb), smart and a hit with the girls. Ash's jealousy almost gets Kris killed, but, as in all good children's stories, differences are accepted and Ash helps save the day.

The fact that this is supposedly for children is another reason for concern. The way the three farmers, especially Bean, go after all of the wild animals with such vengeance is disturbing. Every attempt is made to annihilate these creatures, from digging them out to drowning them. It's a bit morbid, I'd say, for young children, but in the end, Mr. Fox manages to find his way into the local supermarket. I couldn't help but wonder what will happen once the farmers catch on to that, but thank goodness, the movie was over.

As Jeanne mentioned in her review, it was more than a bit distracting listening to the voices of these two mega stars as married characters because of their real-life age differences. This will not be a problem for younger moviegoers, of course, but with Clooney now age 48 and Streep at age 60, it was something that I found bothersome from the very beginning of the film.

Aside from that, the animation is wonderfully done, especially when you consider it was primarily stop-motion technology. What an ambitious undertaking by director Wes Anderson and his group of 20 animators! (One interesting note: Anderson used the same crew that worked with Tim Burton on "Corpse Bride"). The storyline will be far too confusing for young children, so parents may be answering a lot of questions.

As for other voice talents, Bill Murray as Mr. Fox's attorney Badger stands out, but my favorite character is Kylie, an opossum voiced by Wallace Wolodarsky. I particularly enjoyed the humanization aspects of the animals, especially in the beginning when Mr. Fox is house hunting. Anderson's use of extreme close-ups in this film are notable, and overall the animation comes across as fresh. There are plenty of sight gags that may go unnoticed because of the rapid pace of the movie, so some may find a second viewing worthwhile. The original soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat is terrific.