GEORGE Clooney helped to launch the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival in style on Wednesday (October 14, 2009), walking the red carpet with current Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis and spending time with fans.

The star has leant his voice to opening movie The Fantastic Mr Fox, an adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl novel, directed by Wes Anderson.

And the star-studded opening gala was also attended by Anderson himself, along with his voice stars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, and celebrities including John Hurt, Cindy Crawford and director Gurinder Chadha. However, another of the film’s main voice stars, Meryl Streep, was not able to attend as she was forced to remain in the US with flu.

The Fantastic Mr Fox has been a long-cherished project for Anderson, who opted to shoot it using stop-motion animation, and to keep the dark tone of Dahl’s source material.

Speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, the director of films such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited said: “This was actually the first book I ever personally owned, which was officially my property. It introduced me to Roald Dahl’s books in general. It made a big impression on me.”

Clooney attended the same press conference and was in jovial mood, joking with reporters and photographers and generally evading questions on his personal life.

When confronted with a question if playing the paternal Mr Fox had made him broody, he joked that he’d never heard of the term, and later added that he intended to “adopt Brad Pitt’s kids”.

He also said that it had been a pleasure to work with Anderson on the movie, and to actually get the chance to hang out with other members of the cast – an unusual process for animated movies.

The London Film Festival runs until October 28, 2009, and includes two more George Clooney releases: The Men Who Stare At Goats and Up In The Air.

View photos from the premiere or read our review of Fantastic Mr Fox

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