Whether it’s horror movies in October or old jazz music during December, the festivities associated with preparing for holidays are often undebatable. Few would object to watching a spooky movie on Halloween because that’s what Halloween is all about. Similarly, others indulge in listening to cozy jazz classics because the winter holidays are all about tenderness and love. But, it seems like Thanksgiving is different.
Though people are more than happy to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on the harvest holiday, this seems to be the only movie that people can agree is a Thanksgiving classic. A movie that contains the vibes that Thanksgiving is all about. And though other media during the fall is recognized as fall classics (for example, “Gilmore Girls”), the movie “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is often overlooked—when it certainly shouldn’t be.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is the 2009 stop-motion animated film directed by famed American auteur Wes Anderson. Renowned for his strong color compositions, symmetrical framing and vintage aesthetics, Wes Anderson is widely regarded as a master filmmaker.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” was the first movie he made in full stop-motion animation. It took multiple years to complete and involved a star-studded cast, from George Clooney in the titular role as Mr. Fox to Meryl Streep voicing Mrs. Fox. It is an adaptation of the famous Roald Dahl book “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”.
Though it was released to initially mixed reviews when it came out back in 2009, it’s since developed a cult following online. Pieces from Alexandre Desplat’s infamous banjo score heard in the movie have even gone viral on TikTok (the piece “Mr. Fox in the fields” has over 100,000 videos made to the sound).
What makes the film such a Thanksgiving classic, and why it should not be up for debate as much as it is, is because of the same vibes that horror movies hold during Halloween or cozy movies hold during the winter holidays. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” just has the perfect fall vibes.
In the movie, the entire color palette uses strong warm colors like yellow and orange. This color palette is as mentioned before, not new to the work of the filmmaker. However, the specific colors being used are unique in being synonymous with fall as the browns and reds used invoke the colors of the leaves of trees changing color and the oranges invoking pumpkins as well.
Every character is dressed in a cozy outfit, whether it be sweaters or coats. Mr. Fox wears a corduroy blazer. Corduroy is the fabric of fall. It is cozy, has a strong aesthetic, and is oftentimes worn in browns or colors of this sort.
And finally, the message of the movie is about gratitude. Mr. Fox’s central conflict resolves on him being grateful and content with who he is and feeling accepted within his family. This theme of gratitude is ultimately what Thanksgiving is about. In the fall we gather in our cozy sweaters and decorate our homes with pumpkins and warm colors in order to remember what makes us grateful. The film itself may involve robbery and inner conflict about what it means to be good or great, but at its core, it’s about gratitude.
