London Goes To Town For “Mr. Fox”

Jarvis Cocker, Eric Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, George Clooney, Wally Wolodarsky and Bill Murray attend the World Premiere of Fantastic Mr Fox and the Opening Gala ofThe Times BFI London Film Festival at the Odeon Leicester Square on October 14, 2009 in London, England. Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images.

Last night in London, Leicester Square was converted into a scene comparable to the Academy Awards. With zigzaging red carpets leading into not one, but two mammoth cinemas on different sides of the square (the two largest cinemas in the city), Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” kicked of the The Times-BFI 53rd London Film Festival with a considerable frenzy.  Thousands of onlookers stood against barriers blocking off the square, screaming at the eccentric variety of celebrities making their way into the premiere. From Roald Dahl’s granddaughter (and British tabloid fixture) Sophie Dahl to “Mr. Fox”-affiliates Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, to, for whatever reason, Cindy Crawford, it was quite the sight.

Once the mania died down and the premiere’s black-tied attendees found their seats, Amanda Nevill, director of the British Film Institute, took the stage of the massive Odeon Leicester Square cinema.

“It’s long been our ambition to take the festival further,” she said. “We’re raising our profile at home and abroad. People are starting to talk about the festival more than ever before… And the real reason we are so excited about this higher profile festival, is because it bangs the drum of the BFI’s mission. Which is to celebrate film as a great art form.”

The festival’s raised profile is due in sizable part to landing “Mr. Fox”‘s world premiere as their opening night film (coming after last year’s similarly notable opener “Frost/Nixon”). The film - adapted from Roald Dahl’s beloved 1970 children’s book and directed in stop-motion animation by Wes Anderson - seemed a more likely fit for more typical fall film launchers like Toronto or Venice (where Anderson’s “Darjeeling Limited” premiered two years ago). But London seems to have proved a formidable alternative.  Instead of getting lost in the sea of those aforementioned fests, “Mr. Fox” had a sole spotlight shining brightly upon it, and not without good reason.  Warmly received by both critics and an applause-heavy London audience, “Mr. Fox” was looking fantastic, indeed.

The film follows Mr. Fox (Clooney), Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep), and their son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman), as they join forces with neighboring families of Badgers, Rabbits and Weasals to fend off three angry farmers.  Visually stunning and pleasantly charming, the film is likely to delight even Anderson’s naysayers.

Before the screening began, Anderson was introduced to the stage, and explained his joy in having the film premiere in London.

News » Oscar Noms News » Sundance Winners Features » Critics Speak

A scene from Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” “I love this book,” he said. “As a child, it was the first book I ever owned, and obviously my introduction to the work of Roald Dahl, who became one of my heroes. We wrote the script, in part, at his house. And we shot the film at Three Mills Studios in East London… So for me, it’s a British film, and it’s a great pleasure for me to have it premiering at the London Film Festival. Having said that, I’d like to introduce some of my colleagues who helped us to make the film, and they are almost, every last one of them… American.” The majority of the film’s voice cast then took the stage, with the exception of Meryl Streep, who was sick with the flu. “Damn you, Meryl Streep,” Bill Murray yelled from the audience as Anderson relayed the news. Murray’s sense of humor was felt throughout the media events that preceded the premiere as well.  At the film’s press conference earlier that day, Murray stole the show from the generally show-steal proof George Clooney (Greg Ellwood has a hilarious rundown of the Clooney vs. Murray joke-off over at Hitfix). At one point, a reporter asked Wes Anderson whether he had been inspired by communist-era stop motion films from the then Czechoslovakia. “That’s the kind of question we’ve been hoping for,” Murray deadpanned after the reporter finished.  “That’s why we flew over here.  Go get ‘em Wes.” Anderson responded to the question after Murray-induced laughter finally died down. “That kind of Eastern European animation was an inspiration to me,” he said. “I hadn’t thought of the political things, but I do think the movie, and Dahl, is a bit anarchic… The movie is a bit of a Robin Hood story, so it’s also a bit communist I think.” “Or English,” Murray interjected. -This article continues on the next page-   (1 of 2)  Next Page › Login to recommend this article » posted on October 15, 2009 |Share Comments 1 genartjeff says on October 15, 2009 at 4:40pm I’m going to be Mr. Fox for Halloween.  there I said it first. so nobody else can do it! thanks. Login to Leave a Comment »