In our apocalyptic epoch, sometimes you need an old-school good time grounded in the natural world. Enter The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, from the directors of the wondrous Ernest and Celestine, who I interviewed for Cartoon Brew ahead of their (inevitable) consecutive Academy Awards nod.
Keeping It Light: An Interview With ‘The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales’ Co-Directors Benjamin Renner And Patrick Imbert
A cartoonish blast from the past, co-directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert’s Big Bad Fox and Other Tales bows equally to Aesop’s Fables and Bugs Bunny, while continuing to represent France as an international exemplar of hand-drawn animation.
Based on Renner’s 2015 graphic novel of the same name, Big Bad Fox bowed stateside in November at the inaugural Animation Is Film festival, but more widely opens in February from standout distributor GKIDS.
Although its pedigree alone recommends it – Renner co-directed the 2012 film Ernest and Celestine, for which Imbert served as animation director – Big Bad Fox is also notable for being an old-school, hand-drawn goof-off swimming in a sea of quite serious cgi. It dispenses with the pretense to seriousness outright, refreshingly reminding viewers what animated escapism can be for those just looking for a funny, feel-good time.
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