Illustrated by Neil Singer

An image full of oranges, yellows, and browns, Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Fantastic Mr Fox opens depicting the lone Mr Fox standing at the top of a hill, resting against a shallow tree. A sprig of wheat in toothpick position swapped for a dark red apple, picked with a short snap off the tree, he stares out into the countryside valley as if he were its king.

The tune sings from his ‘Walk – Sonic.’ (Anderson’s version of a Walk-Man)

The song tells the story of a folk hero the Fantastic – ‘Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier’ -from the mid 1950’s Disney series bearing the same name.

If appearances were true, Mr Fox embodies this to a Tee. Suave, sharp and fierce, he rides in tandem with the man considered the people’s king, hero of the masses, and a true role model of manhood – at least according to the stories. However, this song goes further than just a simple reference or atmosphere creator, it tells a story of his character in a very intelligent manner.  

To understand the value this song provides in the film, it’s important to first answer the question ‘Who is Davy Crocket?’

Perhaps most popularly depicted in a racoon skin hat, as a warrior frontiersman who fought for the USA against the indigenous people and Mexico. Crockett came from a background of little wealth or standing, but became a symbol of bravery, patriotism, and masculinity across the United States.

Claiming to have killed over 100 bears in a season – including one with merely a grin – Crockett was seen as a strong and courageous warrior who could stand up against forces far greater than himself, and come out not just alive, but thriving. Standing as a politician, he fought so the voices of the ordinary American citizen were heard, and stood up to President Jackson, opposing the forced removal of native Americans from their land.

Viewed as a hero through much of his life, he died the same way. In 1836, Crockett and around 200 American fighters fought against the Mexican forces in the battle of Alamo (located now in San Antonio, Texas), against an army ten times their might. All American fighters were killed in what is as viewed a mighty act of bravery and sacrifice for America in a war which the United States ultimately won.

His story and legend have been kept alive through the creation of books, plays, and films, depicting a figure of manhood to idolise, that Mr Fox clearly embraces. The use of Crockett’s theme in the film sets up a clear picture of how Mr Fox wishes to see himself and subtly underlines his reasoning for his subsequent actions.

12 Fox-Years later and Mr Fox is lost, feeling emasculated from his (male) fox identity.

Keen to demonstrate and embody his ‘true’ role as a fox and man, Mr Fox makes enemies with the triple threat of Bogus, Bunce, and Bean. “Three of the meanest, nastiest ugliest farmers in the history of this valley” according to Badger. A welcome adversary for this Fox to prove himself. Stealing chicken from Bogus, geese from Bunce, and cider from Bean, Mr Fox embraces the brave and courageous figure he sees himself to be, fitting the mould of a strong fox.

Yet of course, these are some nasty farmers indeed. Enraged by Mr Fox, they attempt to hunt him down. And yes – they may shoot off his tail, drive his family deep below the ground, and cause a mass panic amongst the valley’s animal population, but he still strikes back. A true embodiment of a tough masculine man – just like Crockett. 

And like a trophy for the mantelpiece, the fantastic fox claims a great victory over the famers once again stealing enough food to feed a village – quite literally – and toasts to his success.

He’s super brave, super suave, super cool, pretty much the greatest ever – at least according to himself.

Despite this, perhaps unsurprisingly, his pride and dignity are soon washed away – literally.

The farmers flood all the animals out of their celebratory soiree and back into reality, or in their case, the sewer. The Fantastic Mr Fox is not so fantastic anymore. Neither in the eyes of the valley, his wife, or himself.

And from here comes the key revelation:

Mr Fox – “I think I have this thing where I need everybody to think I’m the greatest, the quote on quote, Fantastic Mr. Fox.”. And if they aren’t completely knocked out and dazzled, and kind of intimidated by me, then I don’t feel good about myself. Foxes traditionally like to court danger, hunt prey and outsmart predators, and that’s what I’m actually good at. I think, at the end of the day I’m just.. A wild animal”

For the first time in the film, we see Mr Fox consider his own actions and the reasoning behind in a more honest light. A clear display of the dismantling of his previous dangerous style of thinking.

Now, if you’re well-tuned in with your history knowledge then this revelation perhaps wouldn’t come as much of a surprise. After all, the ideas Mr Fox had for himself were inspired by myth, not reality.

You see whilst Davy Crockett was very much a real person, much of the stories and tales of his glory are exaggerations, twistings, and fabrications. The Disney show the theme is taken from has been credited for much of this. With the depiction (made over 100 years after the events) covering a fantasy of the classic America which was present at the time (and arguably still is).

Davy Crockett didn’t wear a racoon skin hat, was likely more of a hunter or scout rather than a warrior in the Creek War, and was possibly killed, not in a fight to the death, but execution. Politically he made enemies, never had a steady stream of power (often having to seek re-election), and after opposing President Jackson, ultimately had to leave the political landscape.

It’s not that Crockett didn’t have successes in his life, he just wasn’t a flawless hero like the myth has led people to believe. The good old times weren’t actually all that great, and neither was the man who represented them.

Guilty of following a fantastical image, Mr Fox has attempted to prove his worth based upon a glorification of manliness coming from a place of insecurity in himself, rather than truth. In other words this can be seen to demonstrate the dangers of toxic masculinity. Mr Fox followed a set of unrealistic ideas of how he should act, rather than being the best authentic version of the man he is, embracing the raw vulnerability that comes with this.

The final act of the film demonstrates how his character comes to understand and embrace reality and himself, with our second song clearly highlighting this shift into a new line of thinking and maturity.

A far less pristine image of greys and browns, Mr Fox now stands on top of a pile of debris and rubble as he looks upon his fellow sewer dwellers. The shot switches to a close-up once again of his ‘Walk – Sonic’ ditching Crockett’s theme for ‘Le Grand Choral’ by Georges Delerue. An orchestral burst of flavour and thrill blooms from his speaker, alerting the audience to a clear shift in the mindset of Mr Fox, and calls back to the film where it (alike Crocket’s theme) was originally used.

The 1973 film ‘La Nuit américaine’, directed by François Truffaut, follows the making of a fictional film, attempting to highlight the true chaotic and organic nature of this form of storytelling, rather than the myth of pristine creativity that has previously been painted. One of the most iconic parts of the film, popular for embodying the ideas it presents, would be the use of ‘Le Grand Choral’. While the song itself is a grand, whimsical, and a majestic piece of classical music, it is used over a montage of scenes depicting the reality of film production; the director readjusting actors positioning, the clumsy stepping over of production equipment, staff dodging out the way of the camera shots, the adjusting of lighting, the cutting of scenes, and more.

The true chaotic realities of magical cinema are shown on screen in a way we would previously hold for the mystical and refined finished product. Instead, it asks us to see the beauty of the organic reality and understand that though life isn’t as polished or pristine, that’s O.K.

This idea is best demonstrated by a quote from Ferrand, the (fictional) Director, to one of the actors who is disgruntled with his life –

“No one’s private life runs smoothly. That only happens in the movies. No traffic jams, no dead periods. Movies go along like trains in the night.”

This works beautifully to illustrate the ideas of Mr Fox in our scene. Instead of aiming for an impossible fantastical Crockett-like image, he instead embraces the reality and the beauty in the world and himself, and this piece of music perfectly encapsulates that idea.

The final symbol of this comes from arguably the most iconic scene of all –

After escaping from the farmers on their motorcycle, the posse of animals find themselves screeching to a halt along an autumnal road.

A turn of their heads and they’re staring down the eyes of a wild wolf. Standing among the wintery hills and forests of the future, Mr Fox is confronted by his fear head on.

“I have a phobia of wolves!” he shouts. Yet this time he doesn’t run, nor does he chase. He sits still. He embraces his unease and sees that no harm can come from this wolf that he’s been told to fear, instead seeing its true beauty.

Mr Fox understands that to be a wild animal is not about being the intimidating, masculine, Crockett figure he believed he should be, but rather a unique character who is in touch with his emotions, is reliable, loving, kind, and real.

Here Mr Fox is shown to wave his fears and need to live up to a myth, embracing the organic and beautiful Truffaut reality.

Despite the use of these two pieces of music appearing as nothing but background noise, Wes Anderson proves that the little things can be (and are) just as important and often by design. There has long been a debate around what ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ is about and in truth there’s truly no set answer to this. But the story of being honest in yourself, owning your vulnerabilities, and being the best person you can be for those around you is certainly one of its most important. It’s rare a film is able to tell a story in such a captivating and intricate way like ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ does, whilst maintaining a sense of charm and warmth, and delivering a worthy message simultaneously, but I’m so glad it does.  

Neil Highlands Singer

Hi, I’m Neil Singer, Culture Editor and second year student, studying media and journalism, and social policy. In my spare time I play for Strathclyde Lacrosse and watch a lot of films. If your reading this then that probably means you’ve looked at my article, so thankyou! You must be one very cool individual.