OVERLAY REPORT

The film **Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)**, directed by Wes Anderson, is rated **PG** (Parental Guidance Suggested) by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). According to the official MPA rating, the film received this classification for **"action, smoking and slang humor."** Beyond the official summary, several specific elements and scenes contributed to this rating: ### 1. Slang Humor and "Cussing" One of the most notable aspects of the film's rating is its unique approach to language. Instead of using actual profanity, the script replaces every swear word with the word **"cuss."** * **Examples:** Characters say phrases like "What the cuss?", "You're cussing with the wrong fox," and "That’s a lot of cussing." * **Rating Impact:** While technically avoiding "bad words," the MPA classified this as "slang humor" because the intent and context of the word substitutions clearly mimic adult profanity, maintaining a sophisticated, slightly edgy tone. ### 2. Substance Use (Smoking and Alcohol) Unlike many modern animated films, *Fantastic Mr. Fox* includes frequent depictions of smoking and drinking, which are more common in 1960s-70s literature and film. * **Smoking:** The character Rat is frequently seen with a cigarette, and other characters are shown smoking pipes or cigarettes throughout the film. * **Alcohol:** A central plot point involves the characters raiding Bean’s Secret Cider Cellar. Characters are shown drinking "hard cider," and some (like Rat and the security guard) are shown in various states of intoxication or behaving recklessly due to the drink. ### 3. Violence and Action The film features stylized but persistent violence that goes beyond typical "slapstick" humor: * **Animal Death/Injury:** Mr. Fox loses his tail to a gunshot (the tail is later worn by Farmer Bean as a necktie). A major character, Rat, is killed during a climactic fight with Mr. Fox; the scene involves a physical struggle and Rat being thrown into an electrified fence and later washed away in a sewer. * **Implicit Cruelty:** The farmers use high-powered rifles, excavators, and explosives to destroy the animals' homes. There are also depictions of "breaking the necks" of chickens (though done quickly and with stop-motion puppets, the sound and action are deliberate). * **Physical Altercations:** In one scene, Mrs. Fox scratches Mr. Fox’s face during an argument, leaving visible claw marks. Characters are also shown being electrocuted by an electric fence and chased by a rabid dog. ### 4. Mature Themes and Threat The film carries a somewhat dark and "grown-up" tone compared to standard children’s animation: * **Thematic Content:** The plot revolves around themes of mid-life crises, the ethics of stealing, and the existential struggle between "wild" instincts and "civilized" life. * **Menacing Villains:** The farmers (Boggis, Bunce, and Bean) are portrayed as genuinely murderous and cruel, with Bean in particular shown having violent outbursts (smashing his office) and a cold, calculating desire to kill the fox family. In summary, the **PG** rating reflects a film that is largely family-friendly but contains sophisticated wordplay, "old-school" depictions of smoking and drinking, and moments of genuine peril and physical violence that warrant parental guidance for younger children.