Martin Scorsese once called Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) his logical heir. Is it the way Anderson creates tension in the room or did Scorsese one day imagine Anderson at work in stop-action animation? The director of Fantastic Mr. Fox joins Elvis Mitchell on The Treatment.
Anderson, who loved the Roald Dahl book on which the film is based, explains how he got permission from the Dahl family to use 'Danny, the Champion of the World' in his screenplay, and that he cast George Clooney, not because of his voice but because he'd always wanted to work with him. He reveals why he made the animals American and the humans British, and how he based the movements of Rat (voiced by Willem Dafoe) on the choreography of Bob Fosse. Finally, he discusses finding inspiration in Ray Harryhausen and the Brothers Quay, the importance of doing a stop-motion animation film with fur, and how this style involves more decision-making than a live-action film.
Banner image: Greg Williams