NARRATOR: The Handcrafters' List of Fantastic Mr. Fox, for which more than 4,000 props were created, contrasts deliberately with the smooth surfaces of a lot of contemporary computer-generated animation. Nowhere in the film is this more obvious than in the final exciting sequence. The animals hatch an elaborate plan to rescue Kristofferson from the clutches of the farmers. In a way, the use of handcrafted technology in their mission pays tribute to the film's artisanal aesthetic.

After the animals set off a firebomb made from pine cones in the sewer, Fox and Opossum pop out of the manhole cover in a puff of smoke--smoke that is quite clearly made out of cotton wool. The shaking background, as Fox and Opossum speed through the countryside, though diagenetically motivated by the antiquated motorbike, pays homage to the jerkiness of vintage stop-motion. And the news helicopter tracking the animal's progress is shown flying over fields obviously made from stitched-together textiles.

Because creating the world of Fantastic Mr. Fox is so reliant on mise-en-scene and so labor-intensive, montage is downplayed. Instead, camera movements, like tracking shots, give us time to feast our eyes on detail and the animation technique of the movie.

In this sequence, the animals are gathered for a communal meal in their makeshift but convivial lodgings in Badger's flint mine. The camera starts on Mole playing the piano and tracks right, taking in the characters' movements, as the Kids set the table, and as Rabbit prepares the meal. The camera speeds up to follow Fox and Badger, as they talk about Fox's injury.

The camera pauses just as Ash appears on camera. Overhearing his father's words prompts his bold plan to get the tail back. Now tracking backwards, the camera watches as Ash approaches his cousin, Kristofferson, with his idea. Of course, this virtuoso single-take is simulated, as the models are manipulated between each frame to create all the delightful onscreen activity we witness.