50 Fun Facts About Fantastic Mr Fox

In what year was Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox first published?

George Allen & Unwin published it in the UK and Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S., with illustrations by Donald Chaffin.

Who illustrated the first edition of Fantastic Mr Fox?

Jill Bennett drew the 1974 Puffin paperback, Tony Ross the 1988 edition and Quentin Blake the 1996 one.

Which illustrator's pictures appeared in the 1996 edition of the book?

Blake is now the illustrator most associated with Dahl, but he did not draw this title until 26 years after it came out.

How many children does Mr Fox have in the book?

The 2009 film replaced the four unnamed cubs with one son, Ash, and a visiting cousin, Kristofferson.

What are the names of the three farmers Mr Fox steals from?

Dahl describes them as cruel, rude, wicked and dim-witted. The film gives them first names: Walt, Nate and Frank.

When the farmers ambush Mr Fox outside his hole, what do they manage to shoot off?

In the film, Ash and Kristofferson later sneak back to Bean's farm to try to reclaim the missing tail.

After spades fail, what do the farmers use to dig up the Foxes' hill?

The Foxes simply dig deeper, and the farmers are ridiculed for the mess, so they decide to starve the family out instead.

How many days are the Foxes trapped underground before Mr Fox hatches his plan?

He tunnels from memory toward Boggis's four chicken houses, then on to Bunce's storehouse and Bean's cider cellar.

Which animal friend joins Mr Fox on his tunneling mission in the book?

Badger and his family, plus the Moles, Rabbits and Weasels, are invited to the feast by way of apology for being caught up in the siege.

Which farmer keeps the secret cider cellar that Mr Fox raids last?

There they are nearly caught by Bean's servant Mabel and have a run-in with the cellar's resident, Rat.

What is the name of Bean's servant who nearly catches the animals in the cellar?

Felicity is Mrs Fox's first name in the film; Agnes is the Foxes' adopted daughter in the film's cast list.

What does Mr Fox propose to the animals at the celebratory banquet?

He promises to hunt for them daily so no one need fear the farmers again; everyone cheers.

The book ends with the narrator saying the farmers are, so far as he knows, still doing what?

Boggis, Bunce and Bean are left sitting outside the hole in vain while the animals feast below.

Which Australian children's prize did Fantastic Mr Fox win in 1994?

The BILBY Awards are voted by children through the Children's Book Council of Australia.

In 2012, Mr Fox appeared on what?

The commemorative stamp set marked Roald Dahl's work. Dahl himself and Martin Jarvis have each recorded audio readings of the book.

Who composed the opera of Fantastic Mr Fox that premiered at Los Angeles Opera in 1998?

Gerald Finley sang Mr Fox. A 2019 recording by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera won the Grammy for Best Opera Recording.

A 2019 Boston Modern Orchestra Project release of the Picker adaptation won what?

Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera made the recording. Opera Holland Park had staged a new version outdoors in 2010.

David Wood's stage play of the book premiered in 2001 in which city?

A separate musical ran at the Nuffield in Southampton over Christmas 2016 before touring the UK.

In Puffin's controversial 2023 revisions, roughly how many changes were made to Fantastic Mr Fox?

Changes included dropping the word "black" from a description of tractors and turning one of Mr Fox's sons into a daughter.

In the 2023 revised text, Boggis hops about like what, instead of "like a dervish"?

Dahl had told his publishers not to change "a single comma." His U.S., French and Dutch publishers refused to adopt the edits.

Who directed the 2009 film adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox?

Anderson said he signed on because Dahl was one of his heroes. He co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach.

Who co-wrote the screenplay of the 2009 film with its director?

Baumbach had previously co-written The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou with Anderson.

What animation technique is the film primarily made in?

The puppets were built by Mackinnon & Saunders, and many of the crew had animated Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.

Who provides the voice of Mr. Fox in the film?

Anderson recorded the voices outdoors, in a forest, an attic and a stable, to get spontaneous performances.

Which actress was originally cast as Mrs. Fox before Meryl Streep took the role?

Blanchett left for undisclosed reasons. In the film Mrs. Fox has a first name, Felicity.

Who voices Ash, Mr. Fox's small and insecure son, in the film?

Eric Chase Anderson, the director's brother, voices Ash's athletic cousin Kristofferson, a source of jealousy for Ash.

Kristofferson comes to stay with the Foxes because his father is being treated for what?

His full name in the film is Kristofferson Silverfox; he is Felicity's nephew.

Who voices the Foxes' lawyer, Clive, in the film?

The film makes Badger a lawyer who warns Mr. Fox against buying the tree house near the three farms.

Which actor voices farmer Bean in the film?

Hurlstone voices Boggis and Guinness voices Bunce. Helen McCrory plays Mrs. Bean.

Who voices Rat, Bean's violent security guard, in the film?

Rat is pushed into a generator during a fight with Mr. Fox and, before dying, reveals where Kristofferson is held.

Owen Wilson voices which character in the film?

Wally Wolodarsky voices Kylie the opossum and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker voices the banjo-playing Petey.

What kind of animal is Kylie, Mr. Fox's sidekick in the film?

Kylie helps Mr. Fox raid the farms. Wes Anderson himself voices Stan Weasel.

Which Pulp frontman voices Petey and contributed songs to the film?

Cocker said he wrote three or four songs for the score; "Petey's Song" is on the soundtrack.

The film opens with Mr. Fox and his wife caught in a trap while raiding what?

Felicity reveals she is pregnant and makes him promise to find a safer job. The story then jumps twelve fox-years.

How much time passes after the opening trap scene before the main story of the film begins?

By then the Foxes and their son Ash are living in a hole, and Mr. Fox wants to move into a tree.

In the film, how do the farmers flush the animals out of their tunnels?

With the fire chief's help they use Bean's cider, washing the animals into the sewers.

Where do the farmers hold Kristofferson captive in the film?

Ash frees him and then braves enemy fire to release a rabid beagle that keeps the farmers at bay.

What animal does Ash release to hold off the farmers during the rescue?

The act finally wins him his father's approval after a film spent in Kristofferson's shadow.

Where do the animals celebrate in the film's final scene?

The store is owned by the farmers, and Felicity reveals she is pregnant again as everyone dances in the aisles.

Which animator left the project in February 2006 to direct Coraline?

Selick had worked with Anderson on The Life Aquatic. Mark Gustafson replaced him as animation director.

Animation for the film took place on Stage C of which London studio?

Anderson directed the crew remotely at times, acting out scenes in Paris and sending clips via iPhone.

Which color appears in every single frame of the film to give it an autumnal look?

The look was heavily influenced by Great Missenden, the village where Roald Dahl lived.

Which English village, Roald Dahl's home, shaped the look of the film?

Anderson wanted real trees and sand in the sets, "but it's all miniature."

Who composed the film's original score?

Mothersbaugh, Anderson's usual collaborator, was announced in 2006 but replaced. Desplat has scored every Anderson film since.

Which film beat Fantastic Mr. Fox to both of its Academy Award nominations?

It was nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. Up also edged it as the year's top-rated animated film on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie had its world premiere as the opening night selection of which October 2009 event?

It was the 53rd edition of the festival; UK release followed on October 23 and the U.S. on November 13.

What was the production budget of the film, which underperformed at the box office?

Despite strong reviews it earned back only modestly more than it cost, and is now often ranked among the century's best animated films.

Which boutique label released the film on Blu-ray and DVD in February 2014?

Criterion later included it in a 2025 Ultra HD box set, The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years.

Which studio released the film theatrically after Revolution Studios left the project?

Joe Roth's Revolution Studios had bought the rights in 2004; 20th Century Fox Animation took over in October 2006.

Where did The New York Times' 2025 readers' poll rank the film among the century's 100 best movies?

Rolling Stone's list the same year put it at 88th, and Time had named it one of the 25 all-time best animated films in 2011.