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| photo courtesy of theyoungfolks.com |
Director Wes Anderson returns to
stop-motion animation with Isle of Dogs,
and it’s as delightful as you might expect. In the landscape of big-budget
Hollywood tentpole films, Wes Anderson is known as an auteur, imbuing his
movies with a distinctive visual and narrative style. He’s something of an icon
to beanie-wearing, film-buff hipster types, but his peculiar approach earns a
range of reactions from casual moviegoers—typically anything from amused to
confused. So while Isle of Dogs might
not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s certainly worth everyone’s attention:
whimsical and thoughtful, it makes for another charming story from one of this
generation’s most talented filmmakers.
Isle of Dogs follows Chief (Bryan Cranston),
a stray among hundreds of domesticated dogs exiled to Japan’s “Trash Island”
after an outbreak of disease makes them a threat to the human population. Chief
struggles to relate to the other dogs (voiced by Billy Murray, Edward Norton,
Bob Balaban, and Jeff Goldblum) until a young boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin)
crashes onto the island in search of his dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). As Chief
and the others join Atari’s quest, they soon discover that there may be more to
the Isle of Dogs than meets the eye.
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| photo courtesy of variety.com |
Visually, Isle of Dogs checks all the Wes Anderson boxes: distinct color
palette, meticulously detailed—and unusually symmetrical—shot compositions, stylized
settings, etc. Apart from its scenes on the Japanese mainland, Isle of Dogs is a bit more muted than your
typical Anderson film. Trash Island, where most of the film takes place, is
appropriately displayed in degrees of grayscale with only tinges of color here
and there. But even in these surroundings, the level of craftsmanship that went
into Isle of Dog’s stop-motion world
is undeniable. There’s something satisfying about Anderson working in
stop-motion; the bizarre quality of his filmmaking feels more at home and at
ease in a world that is, by definition, unreal.
When it comes to story, Isle of Dogs is refreshingly straightforward.
Anderson provides a nice little quest narrative rounded out by well-drawn
character, meaningful arcs, and a dash of deadpan humor. This is not to say
that there’s nothing going on underneath the surface—Isle of Dog comments on authoritarian governments and freedom of
speech, among other things—but there’s something artful to the sheer simplicity
of the enterprise. Add in some of Anderson’s trademark storytelling quirks, and
Isle of Dog makes an agreeable yarn.
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| photo courtesy of fashionista.com |
The movie does not, however, represent Anderson
at his best. It’s never quite as
inviting as Fantastic Mr. Fox, and
although it includes plenty of clever witticisms, it’s more often amusing than
it is funny, per se. (The richest humor, by the way, comes thanks to the
interplay between Isle of Dog’s many well-known
cast members, especially the main canine characters).
There are also questions about the way Anderson,
as an outsider, represents Japanese culture. Anderson clearly has no malicious
intentions, but viewers may be divided on whether he brings an appropriate
level of respect and sensitivity to the subject or whether he leans too close
to a touristy over-simplification. Anderson has been criticized for his handling
of race before, and here one character (Greta Gerwig’s Tracy) ends up becoming
more or less a “white savior.” In any case, Anderson’s stylized depiction has
left him open to valid criticism.
Watch the trailer here.
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| photo courtesy of mashable.com |
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