castle of illusion

Visually, the movie is a wonder, with its profusion of detail and exquisitely focussed “performances” by the figurines, whom Anderson frames in images as precisely composed as those featuring actors in his live-action work. The voice performances are sparkling and apt; the adventure plot is realized with a scenographic splendor that’s as understated as it is dazzling, and is also invested with a surprising moral weight. Though the emotional realms—and the philosophical twists—that Anderson evokes are unusually sophisticated for a children’s film, its exuberance is a universal tonic. (via Richard Brody, Fantastic Mr. Fox : The New Yorker)