Celebrated director Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) applies his brilliantly idiosyncratic sensibility to this eagerly awaited, beautifully animated stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s classic, in which Mr. Fox turns his back on a life of crime in favor of spinning yarns as a respectable journalist and honest family man. When the Fox family moves into a treehouse within sight of three teasingly impenetrable fortresses of chicken, duck and turkey farming, Mr. Fox is tempted to pull off one last big score. George Clooney brings Mr. Fox to life with nimble character voicing, aided by a heavy-hitting cast including Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Anderson’s customarily offbeat cadences, deadpan humor and sly moments of touching grace further enliven this rare gem that is both appropriate and wildly entertaining for all ages. Fantastic, indeed!

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Bay Area Premiere. Written by Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach. Photographed by Tristan Oliver. With George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Wes Anderson, Brian Cox, Anjelica Huston. (87 minutes, Fox Searchlight)