In “Moonrise* Kingdom,” the writer-director’s humanism* and surrealism* blend well in the fable* starring young talents Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman with Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Bruce Willis.

    It seems fitting that the movie, arguably Wes Anderson’s most grown-up film yet, is a warm and funny fable about kids on the cusp*.

    Here Anderson’s tendency toward the allegorical* casts a magical spell with Anderson finding a near-perfect balance between the humanism and the surreal that imprints all of his work. In this tale about growing up and falling in love, it seems Anderson has found his true heart.

    The movie tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness.

    As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

    The story takes place in 1965. Suzy (Hayward) is a lovely, lonely girl, a fan of grand adventures, while Sam (Gilman) is a precocious* Khaki Scout in a coonskin* cap and horn rims.

    They are hitting that age when nothing in the world — from the family you have got to your own skin — seems to fit anymore. Before it is over they will carve out their own special place, Moonrise Kingdom, as they try to escape a world that tests them at every turn and tries to tear them apart.

    Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola are dipping into everything from first love to the Peter Pan syndrome* to some very adult problems that beset the grown-ups in Suzy and Sam’s life.

    Before the kids head into an uncertain future, there is a glimpse of what they are leaving behind. Suzy spends her days reading, her three younger brothers playing nearby.

    There is usually a record on, not rock ‘n’ roll but “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra*,” with a narrator explaining how such disparate elements come together to make something amazing, a metaphor* for Suzy’s life. Sam’s lot is more difficult. He’s an orphan* who has bounced around the foster care system.

    The heart of the film comes as Sam and Suzy build their Moonrise Kingdom on a rocky beach and the way small truths emerge as Suzy reads from her books or Sam keeps the campfire* burning.

    There are countless small, meaningful touches in nearly every scene. The dialogue is exceedingly crisp*, often delivered in short bursts. (SD-Agencies)