Wes Anderson doesn’t usually do "short." If you look at his filmography, most of his live-action projects tend to hover around the two-hour mark. But then there’s his 2009 stop-motion debut. Honestly, the Fantastic Mr Fox runtime is a bit of a statistical outlier.
Clocking in at exactly 87 minutes (or 1 hour and 27 minutes if you're counting the credits), it’s remarkably lean. Most animated features today feel bloated, like they’re trying to justify a $200 million budget with endless chase sequences. Not this one.
The Precision of an 87-Minute Clock
Why is it so short? Basically, stop-motion is a nightmare to produce. Every second of footage requires 24 individual photos. When a director is as meticulous as Anderson—recording dialogue on real farms and insisting on corduroy suits made from his own tailor’s fabric—you don't just "add" ten minutes of fluff.
The pacing is frantic. It’s almost breathless. You’ve got Mr. Fox (George Clooney) transitioning from a heist to a legal argument with a badger (Bill Murray) in the span of three minutes. Most movies would take twenty.
How It Compares to Other Wes Anderson Films
If you’re a fan, you know his movies usually breathe a bit more. Take a look at the landscape:
- The Royal Tenenbaums: 110 minutes.
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: 119 minutes.
- Asteroid City: 105 minutes.
- Isle of Dogs: 101 minutes.
At 87 minutes, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the shortest film in his entire catalog. It shares that "snappy" energy with his first film, Bottle Rocket (which was 91 minutes), but it feels even tighter. There’s a specific rhythm to Roald Dahl’s writing that Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach managed to preserve by keeping the runtime under an hour and a half.
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Why the Length Matters for Google Discover and Fans
There's a reason people still talk about the Fantastic Mr Fox runtime today. It’s the perfect "parent-friendly" movie. It’s long enough to tell a complex story about mid-life crises and family dysfunction, but short enough that a seven-year-old won't start kicking the back of your seat.
It covers an immense amount of ground. We see Fox's early thieving days, his "retirement" as a columnist, the move to the tree, the three-night heist, the farmers' siege, and the final sewer showdown.
The "Cuss" Factor and Pacing
You might remember the "cuss" gag. Instead of actual profanity, the characters just say the word "cuss."
"Are you cussing with me?"
It’s a small detail, but it contributes to the film’s speed. The dialogue is delivered with a staccato, rhythmic quality. If the movie were 120 minutes long, that deadpan delivery might become exhausting. At 87 minutes, it stays charming.
Behind the Scenes: The Labor of 87 Minutes
Animation director Mark Gustafson and his crew worked at 3 Mills Studios in London for over a year. They had 535 puppets to manage. Think about that. To get to that 87-minute finish line, they had to produce roughly 125,280 individual frames of film.
Everything was miniature. Real sand. Real trees. No green or blue colors allowed—Wes wanted a strictly autumnal palette of oranges and browns. This level of control is easier to maintain over a shorter runtime.
Is There an Extended Cut?
Short answer: No.
There are plenty of deleted scenes and "making-of" featurettes on the Criterion Collection release, but an "Extended Edition" doesn't exist. Wes Anderson is an "in-camera" kind of guy. He storyboards every single frame before a camera even clicks. If it didn't make it into the final Fantastic Mr Fox runtime, it probably wasn't even filmed.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to stream this on Disney+ or pop in the Blu-ray, here is how to get the most out of those 87 minutes:
- Watch the background animals: Because the runtime is so short, the frame is often packed with details. Keep an eye on the "background" animals like the Rabbit or the Mole; they have their own little arcs happening in the periphery.
- Listen to the soundscape: Since they recorded outside (not in a studio), you can hear the wind and the crunch of real leaves. It adds a layer of "realness" that 90% of CGI movies lack.
- Check the symmetry: Almost every shot is perfectly centered. It’s a Wes Anderson staple, but it's most aggressive here.
The Fantastic Mr Fox runtime proves that you don't need three hours to build a world. You just need a fox in a corduroy suit and a very clear plan.
Practical Insight: If you are introducing someone to Wes Anderson for the first time, this is the entry point. It's the most "distilled" version of his style. It's short, it's funny, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. If you have exactly 90 minutes before bed, this is your go-to.