The 10 Best Fantastic Mr. Fox Quotes

After facing a double whammy of critical disappointments with The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson accepted an offer to helm his first stop-motion animated movie: an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. It’s a quintessential Anderson movie, blending the heist story of Bottle Rocket, the angst of Rushmore, and the dysfunctional family dynamic of The Royal Tenenbaums.

Anderson’s screenplay adaptation of the Dahl classic, co-written with similarly acclaimed filmmaker Noah Baumbach, is filled with memorable lines that fans still quote to this day.

10 “Are You Cussing With Me?” – Mr. Fox

In the world of Fantastic Mr. Fox, the animals use “cuss” in place of actual cuss words. This substitute was a great way for Wes Anderson to include his signature foul-mouthed dialogue in a family-friendly animated movie.

During a heated argument with Badger, Mr. Fox says, “Are you cussing with me? Don’t cussing point at me!” Badger snaps back, “If you’re gonna cuss with somebody, you’re not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!”

9 “There’s A Lot Of Attitudes Going On Around Here … Don’t Let Me Get One.” – Ash Fox

Like most of Jason Schwartzman’s other Wes Anderson characters, Ash Fox is hysterically short with people – especially his cousin Kristofferson, with whom he develops a bitter rivalry after he comes to stay with the Foxes and quickly reveals he’s better than Ash at everything.

During his first night staying in Ash’s room, Kristofferson asks if he can move his sleeping bag slightly out from under Ash’s train set. Ash instantly reacts vindictively and says, “There’s a lot of attitudes going on around here … don’t let me get one.”

8 “You Really Are Kind Of A Quote-Unquote Fantastic Fox.” – Mrs. Fox

After he goes back to stealing, antagonizes the local farmers, and jeopardizes the family home, Mrs. Fox is understandably furious with her husband, who promised her he’d give up crime. When Mr. Fox explains why he returned to a life of crime, he also explains the title. He needs people to think of him as “the quote-unquote ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox.’”

Later in the movie, when Mr. Fox has truly become “fantastic” and saved his family and friends from Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, Mrs. Fox declares this line.

7 “I’ve Got Mixed Feelings About That.” – Kristofferson

In a desperate attempt to win his dad’s affections, Ash tunnels back to the farm with Kristofferson to retrieve Mr. Fox’s severed tail. However, they’re caught almost instantly and Kristofferson gets captured.

During the ensuing rescue mission, saving Kristofferson from captivity is Ash’s job. When Ash, the reason Kristofferson got caught in the first place, says, “I’m here to rescue you,” Kristofferson dryly tells him, “I’ve got mixed feelings about that.”

6 “I’m Not Leaving Here Without That Necktie!” – Mr. Fox

After shooting off Mr. Fox’s tail, Bean starts wearing it as a necktie. In the climactic standoff, Mr. Fox angrily tells Bean, “Your tractors uprooted my tree. Your posse hunted my family. Your gunmen kidnapped my nephew. Your rat insulted my wife. And you shot off my tail. I’m not leaving here without that necktie!”

The farmers immediately open fire, tearing Mr. Fox’s cover to shreds in seconds, and with perfect deadpan comedic timing, he tells the others, “Actually, we should just go.”

5 “Was I A Bit Rude To Agnes?” – Ash Fox

For the majority of the movie, Ash is so wrapped up in his teen angst that he doesn’t realize he’s a jerk to most people and that’s why he’s not particularly well-liked.

Toward the end of the film, he starts to realize his faults. After harshly rebutting Agnes so he could speak to Kristofferson, Ash trails off his train of thought and says, “Was I a bit rude to Agnes? I should probably say something. I will in a minute.”

4 “You Wrote A Bad Song, Petey!” – Franklin Bean

There’s a non-sequitur scene in the middle of Fantastic Mr. Fox in which Petey – a parody of Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, played by Cocker himself – improvises a song while sitting by a campfire.

Bean asks what he’s playing and Petey says, “I just kind of made it up as I went along, really.” Bean replies, “That’s just weak songwriting! You wrote a bad song, Petey!” This quote has become a popular meme because it’s endlessly applicable to lazily written music.

3 “What A Beautiful Creature.” – Mr. Fox

One of the most poignant scenes in Fantastic Mr. Fox arrives near the end after the heroes have liberated Kristofferson and escaped from the farm. Mr. Fox confronts his longstanding phobia of wolves when he sees a majestic wolf standing atop a nearby hill.

He tries to communicate with the wolf and confides that he has an irrational fear of his species. Mr. Fox conquers his fear, admires the wolf, and says this quote before driving off.

2 “Am I Being Flirted With By A Psychotic Rat?” – Mrs. Fox

Willem Dafoe gives a hilariously eccentric turn in Fantastic Mr. Fox as the villainous Rat, a rodent mercenary hired by the farmers to snuff out their arch-nemesis.

Rat tells Mrs. Fox, “Look at you, girl! You’re still as fine-looking as a creme brulee!” Mrs. Fox quips back, “Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat?” Meryl Streep’s funny and brilliantly deadpan delivery here ensures that this line never fails to get a laugh.

1 “You Are, Without A Doubt, The Five And A Half Most Wonderful Wild Animals I’ve Ever Met In My Life.” – Mr. Fox

After bringing his pregnant wife, son, nephew, and their friends up to a supermarket to feast on processed goods, Mr. Fox gives another one of his famous toasts.

He raises a juice box and says, “We’ll eat tonight, and we’ll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I’ve ever met in my life. So, let’s raise our boxes – to our survival.” This line is a sweet, wholesome way to end the movie – particularly the “and a half” part referring to Mr. and Mrs. Fox’s unborn second child.

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Ben Sherlock
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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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