"Now then, let me tell you a story about the time I ate a girl with a red hooded coat"

The BFI London Film Festival will open on 14th October with the world premiere of visionary director Wes Anderson’s new film Fantastic Mr Fox, it was announced this morning.

The animation is adapted from the children’s story written by Roald Dahl and features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Jarvis Cocker and Owen Wilson.

On having the film’s world premiere at the festival, director Wes Anderson adds: “Fantastic Mr Fox is a British film, based on a Roald Dahl book, set in the UK, produced in the UK, and so I am especially pleased to have been invited to be the opening night movie of this year’s London Film Festival. We had a wonderful experience at the LFF with my previous film, and I am eagerly looking forward to introducing Fantastic Mr Fox to the world in this wonderful venue.â€�

If you haven’t read the book, the story is as follows: Mr and Mrs Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristopherson (Anderson).  But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts.  Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community.  Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.

Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Jason Schwartzman are among the cast and crew expected to attend the premiere.

Fantastic Mr Fox is in cinemas on 23rd October via Twentieth Century Fox