The animated movie opens Nov. 25, 2009, and stars George Clooney as the title character, a fox who’s dealing with three wealthy farmers who are none too happy about Mr. Fox feeding his family on their poultry.

The voice cast also includes Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. Watch the trailer here.

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In the movie, Mr. Fox earns the hatred of three wealthy farmers when he steals their poultry to feed his family. The farmers decide to lay in wait for him at the opening of his foxhole, which only makes him more sly – you know, like a fox.

The voice cast also includes Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. Watch the trailer here, and check out this new poster. Mr. Fox even dresses like George Clooney. Sort of.

The movie hits theaters Nov. 25, 2009.

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It’s a stop-motion film directed by Wes Anderson, and his first foray into animation. His other films have ventured towards the indie-quirky type, like “The Darjeeling Limited” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” so it will be interesting to see what he does with a children’s story.

The plot centers on a clever fox (voiced by George Clooney) who must outwit three mean, dimwitted farmers who try to hurt him and his family. Ok, having grown up on a farm, I don’t get this at all, since the fox eat mice and are the farmer’s best friend. But whatever.

The cast couldn’t get any better. Meryl Streep plays Mrs. Fox, with Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon, Adrien Brody, and Anjelica Huston voicing other parts. No rating yet, but I’m guessing it’ll be PG and lean towards the family entertainment genre.

Check out the trailer; it’s so funny to hear George Clooney’s voice coming out of Mr. Fox. I can’t say I’m sold on the stop-motion animation. Maybe …

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I’ll say right off the bat that my kids liked "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" better than I did. I LOVED the first "Night at the Museum," and this sequel seems like a throw-away to capitalize on the first movie and showcase all the stuff in the Smithsonian. That said, there are a few things I like about it; namely, Amy Adams as the plucky Amelia Earhart.

Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, only instead of working as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, he’s running a big corporation now and doing infomercials for all his products, like a glow-in-the-dark flashlight.

Meanwhile, the Museum of Natural History is closed for renovations and upgrades, and the displays are being shipped off to the archives underneath the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Not all the displays are going, however, and when Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Octavius (Steve Coogan) accidentally get boxed up and shipped off, Larry goes on a rescue mission to the Smithsonian to find them.

So that’s the main story. When Larry gets there, he ends up tussling with Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), and Napoleon (Alain Chabat). But working on Larry’s side are the snappy-talkin’ Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and Bill Hader’s General Custer (who knew he had self-esteem issues?). Larry’s son, Nicky (Jake Cherry) is running recon on the computer at home, giving logistical intel to Larry via cell phone.

The highlights for me are Adams’ jazz-age-inspired Earhart (she made me want to go find some adventures!), as well as some of the exhibits at the Smithsonian. Famous paintings come to life a la Harry Potter, and there’s a sweet trio of singing Cherubs, voiced by the Jonas Brothers – only they’re singing the Bee Gee’s and "Titanic" theme song rather than ancient chants, which makes it fun.

Still, the movie drags a bit and a lot of the one-liners fell flat. It did well at the box office this weekend, but I think it’s just because there aren’t a lot of other new family movies out right now.

NOTE TO PARENTS: This movie is fine for kids 7 and older. Language includes insults and a few "dammits," and there’s a couple of kisses and a sweet romance. Most of the PG material comes from action and violence. Larry and his pals are chased and threatened with spears, swords, guns, etc. A giant octopus threatens characters at one point, but most of the action is lighthearted and fun.

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Kate partied at Goldie and Kurt Russell’s house, but Owen Wilson was nowhere in site. Maybe they’re “off-again”? Justin Timberlake was there (sans Jessica Biel), and Matthew McConaughey showed up solo, too. Up next for Hudson: “Big Eyes” and “Nine.”

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New on DVD this week:

Marley and Me (single-disc and 2-Disc Bad Boy Edition). Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in this real-life story about a couple and their unruly dog. [Film Gecko Review] [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy Single-Disc] [Buy 2-Disc]

Seven Pounds. Will Smith stars in this mysterious movie about a guy who grants strangers wishes in order to atone for a past mistake. But when he falls in love with a woman with heart problems (Rosario Dawson), his plan starts to unravel. [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy It]

Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle directed this touching story about an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who’s competing on India’s "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Amazon is running a note that some of the DVDs are missing the special features. So if yours doesn’t include special features, call their hotline at (888) 223-4FOX to receive a replacement DVD. [Trailer] [Official Site] [Buy DVD] [Buy Video on Demand ($14.99)]

Image: Amazon.com

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John Hamburg has been brought in to write the screenplay (Larry Stuckey penned an earlier draft). He’s a longtime Ben Stiller collaborator who worked on “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” and “Along Came Polly.” He also wrote and directed “I Love You, Man,” due out next month.

Jay Roach, who directed the first two Focker flicks, will NOT direct this one. No word on his replacement, but Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”), David Wain (“Role Models”), and Peyton Reed (“Yes Man”) are all in the running.

Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Owen Wilson are all in talks to star in “Little Fockers.” The story will revolve around the kid(s) of Stiller and his wife, played by Teri Polo – though no word on whether she’s returning. I’m guessing yes.

You know what? I liked the first movie, but the second one, not so much. They could have ended the franchise there, as far as I’m concerned.

Image: Amazon.com

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Jennifer Aniston

Sure, Aniston is currently dating rocker John Mayer, but it’s her two pooches, Norman and Dolly, who really hold the key to her heart.

"Men come and go, but there really is no relationship like the one you have with a dog, and then they don’t live as long as they should. You have to say goodbye way too soon. It’s just so sad. It makes me so sad. But their love is unconditional, and I love that."

See Aniston and Owen Wilson in "Marley & Me," currently in theaters. Talk about sad!

Image: Jennifer Aniston, Marley & Me, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

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My 11-year-old daughter and I had planned to see "Marley & Me" on Christmas Day, and I’m really glad it happened to be sold out. We ended up seeing it a few days later, and it was so emotional and sad (especially the ending) that it would have put a serious damper on our Christmas festivities.

That’s not to say it’s a bad movie. Just the opposite, in fact. I was so drawn into it from beginning to end that I completely forgot about everything else in the world for those two hours. Great storytelling, and Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are great together.

"Marley & Me" is based on the real-life story of writer John Grogan (Wilson), who marries his sweetheart, Jenny (Aniston), and moves from cold Michigan to sunny Florida, where they both secure jobs as journalists on competing newspapers. While John dreams of becoming a hard-nosed news reporter like his pal Sebastian (Eric Dane), his editor Arnie (Alan Arkin) asks him to write a slice-of-life column.

John ends up using the column to write about all the goings-on in his life, including he and Jenny’s adoption of a rambunctious dog they name Marley. The high-spirited Golden Lab makes their life miserable, eating everything in sight and escaping off the leash at every opportunity.

Marley is meant to be a replacement for a baby; when John tells Sebastian he’s not sure about having kids, his friend tells him to get Jenny a puppy instead. But John and Jenny go on to have three kids anyway, with Marley there every step of the way.

"Marley & Me" is not only a story about a man and his dog, it’s also a poignant look at family life with all its ups and downs. But while the movie is rated PG and being billed as a "family movie," it’s by no means appropriate for young kids. Marley is cute and wild and everything a puppy should be, but along with his out-of-control behavior, we’ve got some serious life issues in this movie: making babies (no sex is shown, but the couple is seen in bed, once with a creaky mattress in an Irish inn), lots of home pregnancy tests, and a crime-ridden neighborhood that puts a neighbor’s life in peril.

But the worst part is the ending. I hadn’t read the book, but you pretty much know how things are going to turn out. Marley can’t live forever, after all. But I wasn’t prepared for how heart-wrenching the ending would be – and they really milk every last drop of emotion out of moviegoers! I wrote more about this, including a few spoilers, in my post, "Should Marley & Me be rated PG-13?" Suffice to say, I think it should be.

That said, it’s still getting 4 out of 5 Geckos from me, because it’s a beautiful story about the bond that develops between people and dogs, even "the world’s worst dog." Owen Wilson is one of my favorite actors, and he pulls off the curious-about-life writer character well. He and Jennifer Aniston have great chemistry, and you believe that these are two people who would make a life together through thick and thin.

Notable is an appearance by Kathleen Turner as a dog trainer. She looks nothing like the last time you may have seen her in a movie, but that’s ok. She’s still here and still making movies, despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. I hope she continues to make more movies.

I really wish "Marley & Me" had been a little more lighthearted, because I think that would have made for some fun holiday fare. That said, it’s still a great movie for kids 13 and older; just be prepared for the ending, and bring lots of Kleenex!

Images: Marley & Me, 20th Century-Fox Film Corp., 2008

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