Matilda, The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (twice) - Roald Dahl's exciting, engrossing, surreal stories are always going to tempt filmmakers into bringing them to life at the cinema.

Fantastic Mr Fox probably posed more of a problem than some of Dahl's other beloved yarns though. How to best tell the tale of a wily fox with a mostly animal cast of characters?

Somehow, the usual animation just wouldn't have worked with this classic story, so thankfully director Wes Anderson has gone for a handmade stop-motion film.

The results are ideal for the shifty, quick-witted Mr Fox, his furtive movements, wiry frame and sneaking steps perfectly captured by the technique.

Sticking to the basics of the original story, anyone who knows Fantastic Mr Fox will be familiar with a lot of the action here. But added in is a back story to why Mr Fox wants to steal from the farmers, and the Fox family shrinks from four cubs to just the one, tortured soul Ash.

When Mrs Fox (Streep) finds out she is pregnant, she makes Mr Fox (Clooney) promise to give up his job of stealing chickens and become a journalist instead.

Fast forward two years (or 12 fox years) and Mr Fox is determined his family should have a better home living in a tree trunk rather than underground. But on his meagre reporter's wage the only tree the Foxes can afford is right opposite the factories of evil, greedy farmers Boggis (Cox), Bunce (Guinness) and Bean (Gambon), who are likely to shoot a fox on sight.

Mr Fox's son Ash (Schwartzman) is a constant disappointment - no natural athlete and a bit of a bad-tempered misfit. So when Ash's cousin Kristofferson (Anderson) comes to stay with his ability to be the best at any sport, Ash flies into a jealous rage while his dad looks on admiringly.

No matter how hard he tries to adjust to a life away from crime, Mr Fox just can't keep his eyes off the tempting chickens, geese and super-strength cider produced by Boggis, Bunce and Bean. So he hatches a master plan with dippy maintenance man Kylie (Wolodarsky) to have one last go at stealing from the factories and satisfy his wild animal's instincts to hunt.

Boggis, Bunce and Bean, known as the three most terrifying men around, aren't likely to let him get away with it, and Mr Fox loses his tail before he, his family and the other animals are all driven underground with the farmers trying to dig them out.

Will the animals end up starving? Will the farmers manage to get them out? And will Mr Fox come up with a fantastic plan to save them all and win his friends back?

The plan Mr Fox thinks of is a lot more action-packed and film-friendly than the original story, but it fits in seamlessly with the rest of the tale.

I have to admit, my heart sank a little at the news Mr Fox had been made American - but all fears are laid to rest when you realise just how perfect for the part George Clooney is. And Jason Schwartzman as the awkward, misunderstood son Ash is equally clever casting.

You'd be hard pressed not to name Rat (Dafoe) as your favourite character though. He's the ultimate villain and his attempted kidnap of Ash is one of the film's best scenes. Rat also benefits from some of the best music on a brilliant score.

The jokes are as slick as Mr Fox himself, the on screen titles for each scene give the impression of a masterminded heist, and Wes Anderson has shown a great deal of respect for this beloved story in his treatment of it.

With characters voiced by Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Adrian Brody and even Jarvis Cocker as a singing henchman, it says something about the quality of the film that so many big names wanted to be involved.

The beauty of Roald Dahl's stories was that characters could be thoroughly bad and still loveable - no repentant, reformed Mr Fox here. Just a thoroughly fantastic tale of getting away with it.

Katie Archer

Film Facts

Rating: 4 stars

Cert: PG

Genre: Comedy adventure

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: George Clooney (Burn After Reading), Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), Jason Schwartzman (Funny People), Eric Chase Anderson, Willem Dafoe (Fireflies in the Garden), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter), Brian Cox (Zodiac), Hugo Guinness, Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray (Get Smart), Owen Wilson (Marley & Me), Adrian Brody (The Darjeeling Limited), Jarvis Cocker

Memorable lines: "This is going to be a real cluster cuss"

Did you know? The actors recorded their dialogue outside in forests, stables, etc rather than in a studio

Verdict: Fantastic fun and perfect for all ages