Symbolism of the Wolf in Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mr. Fox spots a wolf in the distance right after the climatic action scene.  The wolf is a wild and pure animal; it is a mute and is strong.  Although Mr. Fox has a fear of wolves he tries to engage the wolf in a conversation.  But the wolf remains silent.  The scene ends with the two making a non-verbal connection, they acknowledge each other by both giving a raised paw to one another.  Then as the wolf leaves Mr. Fox says to Ash and Kristofferson “What a beautiful creature, wish him luck boys”.  This scene is very strong for numerous reasons.  The first reason is the connection between Mr. Fox and the wolf indicates the reconciliation of Fox’s shattered identities.  This gesture of acceptance shows that Mr. Fox is making peace with his past self.  With this acceptance Mr. Fox can now find a balance between his wild, internal world and his domestic, external world.  We then see examples of this in his newspaper column, which becomes a bit more edgy by saying “Fox on the Prowl”.  Also his next raid to get food is on a safer target the supermarket in which it closes early on the weekends so they will not get caught.  The black wolf is intended to be a metaphor for Mr. Fox’s internal shadow and is a representation of the wild.  It is a connection between civilization and wildness.  I would rate this movie an 9/10.

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