The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales

Compiled here are a trio of charmingly quirky animated shorts from the makers of the Oscar-nominated Ernest & Celestine, all of which feature barnyard animals—an officious pig, his two dimwitted pals (a rabbit and a duck), and a lazy guard dog, along with the chickens he is supposed to protect—plus a fox and wolf that live in the nearby forest. In the first short, pig, rabbit, and duck must take a baby to its parents after receiving a delivery from a duplicitous stork; in the second, fox steals some eggs from the henhouse, only to have them hatch and the chicks adopt him as their mother; and the third is a Christmas story in which rabbit and duck believe they have killed Santa Claus and decide to replace him, while pig tries to keep them from destroying the holiday entirely. The three tales are presented as sketches being performed onstage that are linked by humorous introductions from the fox—with occasional interruptions spoiling his spiel. The creamy pastel animation is lovely, the jokes and pratfalls evoke a stream of chuckles and some genuine belly laughs, and the voice work—in both the original French version and the English dubbed one—is excellent. In our CGI age, this throwback to the days of classic hand-drawn animation is a delicious treat. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)