Fantastic Mr Fox

Story

Mr Fox steals food from the meanest farmers around, Boggis, Bunce and Bean - one fat, one short, one lean. These three crooks plan to dig Mr Fox out of his home, but they don't realise how truly fantastic Mr Fox is, or how far he'll go to save his family...

Why we chose it

Fantastic Mr Fox is one of Roald Dahl’s most popular creations and frequently named as favourite story by young visitors to the musuem.

Where it came from

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a British author, poet, inventor and fighter pilot. During his career, he wrote a wide range of material, from short stories for adults, to film screenplays, to his well-known children's books. Many of the characters and stories he created were inspired by the people and places around him. In Fantastic Mr Fox, the idea for the foxes’ home originated from a huge tree which grew outside the author’s home in the village of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England.

Where it went next

Fantastic Mr Fox is popular across the world. In 1994, the Children’s Book Council of Australia awarded it the Read Aloud BILBY Award.

It was adapted into a opera in 1998 by Tobias Picker, a play in 2001 by Sally Reid, a film in 2009 directed by Wes Anderson and a musical in 2017 adapted by Sam Holcroft.

Associated stories

Roald Dahl’s many bestselling children's books include James and the Giant Peach (1961), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), The BFG (1982) and Matilda (1988).