On the day Where the Wild Things Are opens, a great little article over at The Atlantic on “scary” kids movies.
What’s more, while Anderson may be thought of as an auteur of hipness, Fantastic Mr. Fox in fact conveys a melancholy message (typical of several of his movies) that coolness is often a cover for great tragedy – whether an alienated family, an abandoned mentor, or, in this case, physical impairment and vulnerability. True, Mr. Fox is voiced by the epitome of smooth, George Clooney, but that doesn’t mean he’ll make it through the movie entirely whole…
Growing up is a form of loss that always makes for a bumpy ride—whether you’re making that terrifying trip among monsters, fleeing your town on boats made of outsized sandwich bread, doing battle with construction machinery, or even just attending a perfectly ordinary school. What matters in the end isn’t so much the fears you face during the journey, but the person you become along the way.
New York Times has a “Room for Debate” feature on this issue today. A little too surgical for my tastes.