Mr Fox will see you first at the London Film Festival

Wes Anderson’s first animated film, Fantastic Mr Fox, will premiere on Wednesday October 14, when it opens the fifty-third London Film Festival, the organisation has announced.

Mr Anderson seemed happy with the outcome, “Fantastic Mr Fox is a British film, based on a Roald Dahl book, set in the UK, produced in the UK, and so I am especially pleased to have been invited to be the opening night movie.”

After Anderson’s declaration of how very British Mr Fox is, stressing his use of thirty sets based on Dahl’s home and village – Mr Fox’s study is particularly reminiscent of Dahl’s famous shed-come-study – it might confuse you to learn that all the animals will have American accents, whilst the evil farmers hell-bent on destroying the brave critters all have British ones. Hmmm…

Mr Fox himself seems to have been based on Anderson, at least his style, anyway. Anderson was very particular about Mr Fox’s jacket, adamant that he should wear a brown corduroy suit strikingly similar to his own. He even got a sample from the New York tailor who makes his suits.

That’s not the only absurdity brought to light: the plot has been adapted. Or should I say changed? Or perhaps just ruined. Mr and Mrs Fox no longer have four children, now they have one, a moody, superhero-cape clad adolescent, who’ll be voiced by Jason Schwartzman. Visiting them is Mr Fox’s nephew, Kristopherson (Eric Chase Anderson), who is good at everything, much to Ash’s disgust. This tacked-on teen-angst plotline seems very unlike Roald Dahl.

Mr Fox (George Clooney) has lived a peaceful twelve years, repressing his natural fox urges to steal and eat chickens from the local farmers. He chooses instead to dine on toast made especially for him by his loving vixen wife (Meryl Streep), who seems to be obsessed with painting lightning-struck fields (and who, we noticed to our horror, apparently has human breasts.)

Ignoring the advice of friend and lawyer, Badger (Bill Murray), Mr Fox enrages farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean (Brian Cox, Hugo Guinness and Michael Gambon respectively) which sparks them to eradicate all the wildlife near their farm, culminating in an inevitable final battle, which concludes the film.

Other previously unmentioned famous voices now attached are Willem Dafoe, Helen McCrory and Jarvis Cocker. A gallery of on-set pictures follows.