We Were Never Wolves: A Reflection after Rewatching Fantastic Mr. Fox
Of all of Wes Anderson's films, there are two scenes that are hard to grasp. One is in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, where Zissou, a grumpy old oceanographer, encounters the jaguar shark, which he has hunted his entire life. The other is in Fantastic Mr. Fox, when Mr. Fox defeats the farmers and, out in the wilderness, encounters a wild wolf. I've seen many different interpretations of these two scenes. Today, after rewatching the whole movie, I finally began to see what the director tries to convey.
A quick introduction to the plot of the Fantastic Mr. Fox: it is a world where animals and humans coexist in a civilized way. The civilized animals go to work and have steady lives, as humans do. Mr. Fox, however, is an exception. The handsome and charming fox constantly announces himself to be a "wild animal." In his youth, he lived by stealing chickens, and only after getting married and having a child did he settle down as a writer. Upon entering middle age, one day, he decides to be a thief once again. He plans to break into the farms of the three largest local farmers to steal poultry, cider, etc. This decision enrages the farmers, who band together to hunt down Mr. Fox, even if that means completely destroying the natural habitat of all animals. So that sets the stage for the story.
Toward the end of the film, Mr. Fox rescues his nephew from the humans' hands. They flee into the wilderness, where, from a distance, they encounter a black wolf. Mr. Fox stops the car and tries to talk to the wolf (only to realize that the wolf does not speak English, Latin, or French). Then he shouts loudly, "I have a phobia of wolves." In that moment, Mr. Fox's eyes glisten with tears for a second, and then he drives away.
Why does this scene exist? Aside from echoing Mr. Fox's repeated claims throughout the film that he "has a phobia of wolves," it does not advance the plot in any obvious way. The first time I watched the movie, even though I couldn't precisely grasp its metaphor or symbolism, I still felt that there was something profound there. The instant when the fox's eyes fill with tears is truly beautiful - like a fleeting shimmer of life itself.
This rewatch seemed to bring me closer to the director. The wolf in the wilderness represents pure freedom and an ideal: an imagined, idealized life that Mr. Fox (and we as viewers) never attained. Perhaps it is because we lack the ability (we are born foxes, not wolves), or because we must reckon with reality and therefore cannot pursue it (family, stability, social expectations, responsibility). In any case, we did not become that version of ourselves.
Throughout the film, Mr. Fox works hard to prove that he is not merely a civilized animal trapped by mediocrity (having a nine-to-five job, a cramped tree trunk, and an unremarkable life). He desperately tries to prove that he can be more. That is why he repeatedly insists, "I'm a wild animal." He yearns for distant plains, unrestrained dreams, and a life without shackles. He not only seeks recognition from others, but also recognition or an answer from himself.