Movieline Inbox: Wes Anderson's Directing E-Mails to the Fantastic Mr. Fox Set

The film world was rocked (OK, it was more of a gentle nudge, or a playful chuck on the underside of the chin) when the LA Times revealed that The Fantastic Mr. Fox helmer Wes Anderson was directing the movie, via e-mail, from his apartment in Paris while Fox was being animated at London's Three Mills Studios, an arrangement that seems to have caused some friction between Anderson and his collaborators, who shared -- on the record, no less -- terms of endearment for Anderson like "a little sociopathic" and "O.C.D." (That he insisted the animators eschew some of their more modern techniques in favor of ones that would give the film a more meticulously hand-crafted look seems not to have endeared him to his crew, either.) Movieline has now obtained (read: fastidiously imagined) some of Anderson's e-correspondence with London set, which we are happy to share with our readers so they can decide for themselves if the director was some kind of detached, absentee lord, or merely someone who had better things to do than sit in a chair as people moved puppet appendages by fractions of an inch thousands of times a day. Enjoy.

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From: Wes Anderson (email redacted)

To: Animation (email redacted)

Date: Wed, April 08, 2009 at 5:54 PM

Subject: Little thing

Great work today. It's all coming alive, right before my eyes. (In the dailies, of course. Which are great.)

Between frames 110096604 and 110096599, starting at timecode 1:02:05, can you nudge Mr. Fox an eighth-inch closer to Badger? The framing's a teeny bit askew, I think. Can't see the whole miniature Renoir painting on the wall behind Mr. Fox as I need to. Thanks.

I'm available on my mobile if you have any further questions. Off to dinner. Then À bout de souffle, for like the 14,000 time. LOL.

Wes

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From: Wes Anderson (email redacted)

To: Animation (email redacted)

Date: Wed, April 08, 2009 at 5:57 PM

Subject: And also

Oh, sorry, just caught something else. Same frames, same timecode. Would you mind tugging down the left lapel on Mr. Fox's smoking jacket? Something not right there, it's kind of rippling/wrinkling in a funny way. Does that make sense? Thanks again.

OK, dinner! Godard!

Wes

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From: Wes Anderson (email redacted)

To: Animation (email redacted)

Date: Mon, April 20, 2009 at 11:36 PM

Subject: new scene note

Attachment: WesSceneNote443.mov

I know I said today's dailies looked (nearly) perfect, but something was nagging at me. Finally figured out what. Find attached my scene reenactment. I know my chops are (still) a little crude, but bear with me. This time I've decided to wear the Mr. Fox mask to better present the scene notes to you. (Don't laugh at me.) Note how when I wheel to look at Rickity, my left hand stays in my pocket. Mr. Fox is smooth that way. Note the hip rotation too. Crucial. And not too much cuff. He'd never show too much cuff. There might be too much cuff.

Wes

PS -- I've been rethinking the crinkle on the Saran Wrap water in scene 41A. A little more crinkle. More fingertips when you crinkle, less finger-to-palm crinkle, that's more of a "crush." I know, I know. Trust me. I spent five hours on this today. The people in the cafe thought I was insane, this guy fondling Saran Wrap all day. But it's worth it. Details.

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