Pixar's sublime Up took in $293 million in North America. Monsters vs. Aliens grossed nearly $200 million in domestic moneys. Ice Age 3 did almost exactly the same ... and it was ridiculously massive overseas. So clearly there is no shortage of parents out there who are more than content to take the whole family out to the movies every other weekend. (Hell, they do it for virtually every other animated feature as well, the ones that are actually crappy.) Two months ago Spike Jonze's lyrical adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are topped out at about $75 million ... not bad, but it deserved better. But it proved there's a market for the adaptations of childhood nostalgia.

And now comes the point: There's a new animated film on the market that's not only one of the mostly oddly amiable family films of the year ... it's also one of the quietest in the marketplace at the moment. It's Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox -- and so far it has yet to break $15 million. Granted, the flick only opened 'wide' on November 25, but if that first frame is any indication ... moviegoers don't seem to care all that much. And that's a shame. This is a great film.

Created through the painstaking magic of stop-motion animation, and populated by a great ensemble of voice performers, Fantastic Mr. Fox is (and you can quote me on this) going to have a very long and pleasant shelf life as those who ignored it slowly manage to "discover" it. (Think Dark City or The Iron Giant.) But the movie deserves better than that. It's a sharp comedy, a strange tale of familial loyalty, a dry but insightful satire, and a clever little story with an environmental point capped off by a wonderfully ironic final scene. It's got action, comedy, Clooney, cussing, a little bit of edge (so it's probably not for the very little kids), and a surprising amount of heart. Fans of Wes Anderson's trademark flourishes will not be disappointed, and those who wouldn't know Royal Tenenbaum from Steve Zissou might want to seek those characters out after enjoying the hell out of Fox.

So there's my enthusiastic little rant for the season. If you're on the fence about Fantastic Mr. Fox, allow me to push you over. It's one of my favorite films of the year. Share your own mini-reviews below!