‘Fox’ gives a new meaning to ‘quirk

Calling someone “quirky” isn’t always a compliment. If someone were to say, for example, that a woman you liked had quirky talents as a lover, you’d think twice about jumping into the sack with her. Not that you wouldn’t, ultimately, but you’d likely hesitate.

Putting it in baseball terms, if as a manager someone recommended a DH or closer to you by saying they had a quirky sense of the game, you’d hesitate before going to them in a clutch situation. There’s just no predicting the results of quirk, except that they’re likely to be interesting.

When it comes to filmmaking, quirky isn’t always a negative. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a strength, which is especially true when the filmmaker in question is Wes Anderson . In trying to describe the work of Anderson, which ranges from “Rushmore” to “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Bottle Rocket” to “The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou,” the word quirky seems to fit just fine.

And that’s exactly the word I would use to describe “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Anderson’s latest, a charming little animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl children’s book. Featuring the voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep, plus Anderson favorites Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” tells the story of the title character, a scamp who can’t adjust to a life that denies him the opportunity of being himself.

And what he is at heart, more than a husband and father, more than a newspaper columnist and owner of a roomy underground den, is a rogue and a thief. Years (more so in Fox Years than Human) after a narrow escape from three of the neighborhood’s most dangerous farmers - Bunce, Bean and Boggis - Mr. Fox decides to get a bit of belated payback.

Trouble is, the payback he devises brings danger to him, his family and every other animal in the neighborhood. And so amid the standard middle-class, middle-age problems - domestic pressures, parenting issues, professional frustrations - Fox has to deal also with the possibility of … well, a violent death.

Anderson, though, isn’t making drama here. His film, using what looks like old-school stop-action animation, is a comedy. It has a serious undertone, one concerned with issues such as being “different” and the obligations of family and friend loyalty. But it never lets that seriousness overcome the fact that it is, at heart, a young-adult tale full of strange creatures and quirky comic moments.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” likely will make a fraction of, say, “Twilight: New Moon.” And it definitely won’t charm everyone. But it should delight those who enjoy indulging in twisted humor and exploring the enduring world of quirk. You know who you are.