Fantastic Mr Fox

I recently read about how a wiley fox made a miraculous escape from a hunter...by shooting his would-be killer in the leg! The stricken creature had already been shot and wounded, but somehow managed to pull the trigger of the hunter's gun with its paw... as the man tried to finish off the fox with the butt of the rifle. The incident happened in the Grodno region of Belarus (close to the border with Poland), where the hunter remains in hospital. It was not reported whether doctors are treating the man for the leg injury...or for his wounded pride.

This real life story of Fox versus Man is somewhat akin to one of my all-time favourite childhood books, “Fantastic Mr Fox” by Roald Dahl.... I still have a copy of it on my bookshelf today. It tells the story of a very cunning fox that has to use all his wits to foil the plans of three very horrible farmers, who are trying to exterminate him.....

"Boggis and Bunce and Bean
One fat, one short, one lean.

These horrible crooks

So different in looks

Were nonetheless equally mean."

As with all Roald Dahl books, you find yourself rooting for the most unlikely character....in this case, for a fox who steals chickens, ducks and geese to feed his family. Meanwhile, the farmers come out smelling like ... well, something with a whiff of farmyard to it.

I have included some scenes from the animated film adaption of the book that was directed by Wes Anderson (2009). Featuring the voices of George Clooney as Mr. Fox, Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox and Bill Murray as Badger, the film used classic, handmade, stop-motion animation to bring the characters to life.

I haven’t seen the film yet, but it is definitely on my list of Must-See DVDs this year.

Another Fantastic Fox - I snapped this one in my parents' back garden on Christmas Day