Isle of Dogs (2018)

Review

101min

Genre:      Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

Director:   Wes Anderson

Cast:        Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton…and more

Writers:    Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman…more

-Synopsis-

In ‘trash island’ off the coast of a the near-future fictional metropolis of ‘Megasaki’ Japan where the city’s dogs are exiled, a twelve-year-old boy joins forces with a pack of alpha dogs to track down his own lost pooch, only to clash with the authorities who put them all there in this stop-motion animation from the singular writer/director of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’.

After briefly experimenting with the time and energy consuming sub-genre of stop-motion animation in ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’, and his first full foray into this world with 2009’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, visionary filmmaker Wes Anderson shows his dedication to the cinematic style and turns his artistic eye to the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, carefully crafting a quirky and unique animal welfare parable and classic ‘boy and his dog’ adventure—delightfully taking the art form to a new level in the process.

Featuring human characters voiced by a largely Japanese cast, translated in wonderfully creative ways, plus a cornucopia of canines brought to life by familiar names (and voices), ‘Isle of Dogs’ stars Bryan Cranston as ‘Chief’, a gruff authority-averse stray who roams trash island with his democratic pack of formerly-pampered alpha dogs; ‘Rex’ (Edward Norton), ‘Boss’ (Bill Murray), ‘Duke’ (Jeff Goldblum) and ‘King’ (Bob Balaban). When determined youngster ‘Atari’ (Koyu Rankin) lands on the island looking for his lost dog ‘Spots’ (Liev Schreiber)—exiled like so many by corrupt mayor ‘Kobayashi’ (Kunichi Nomura) and his cronies—he joins forces with this rag-tag group of pooches and the island’s other residents on a voyage of self discovery, unknowingly helped by tenacious young foreign activist ‘Tracy’ (Greta Gerwig), while clashing with the authorities of Megasaki on the way to changing the lives of its citizens . . . both human and canine.

Even if you’re a cinephile who’s somehow not a fan of Wes Anderson’s work, you can still appreciate his efforts to always offer something distinct and separate from the predictable yearly slew of releases, and his unique ability to create meticulously crafted idiosyncratic human tales with plenty of heart. With ‘Isle of Dogs’ the Texan auteur brings his experience with the difficulties and intricacies of an animal-led stop-motion animation, and takes things to a new level of artisanal charm, crafting a visually and audially mesmerising warm-hearted tale . . . with just the right amount of edge to balance it out.

In both style and tone, not to mention narrative, ‘Isle of Dogs’ is another delightful and quirky concoction by Anderson, proving not only a dog-lover’s ode to our faithful four-legged friends, but also a tribute to his love for Japanese culture and film. Yet beyond being the director’s unique take on classic family fable, the film also takes advantage of the current social climate and proves politically timely, as Anderson and co-writers Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Kunichi Nomura weave together an animal welfare and nationalism parable—wrapped in a metaphor about fear-based discrimination, victimisation and the way we treat the ‘unwanted’ in society.

What’s even more impressive than the way the movie makes you feel is the way it looks and sounds, which of course contributes immensely to the atmosphere, tone and overall experience. Like much of Anderson’s work, ‘Isle of Dogs’ is a beautifully designed and meticulously crafted work of visual art, featuring artisanal production designs which combine a cartoon-like 1950s futurism with Japanese tradition . . . to charming effect—and all captured by experienced British stop-motion cinematographer Tristan Oliver (Chicken Run, Fantastic Mr. Fox).

The result is a plethora of characters of varying quirkiness and cuteness brought to life by the eclectic vocal talents of the actors playing them, plus set-pieces which range from dynamic action sequences to scientific experiments, political rallies to medical surgery—all executed with extraordinary attention to detail and bags of tactile charm, using everything from puppets to models and miniatures, relying on traditional techniques and plenty of love.

The circle of singular style is completed by yet another sumptuous score from regular Wes Anderson collaborator and recent Oscar-winner the prolific Alexandre Desplat, who once again creates music with loads of personality which perfectly complements the style and narrative, in this case a drum-heavy score with Japanese motifs.

With ‘Isle of Dogs’ Wes Anderson truly joins British institution Aardman studios and memorable recent films like ‘My Life As A Courgette’ and ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’—another American production with a Japanese feel—as a champion for the resurgence of stop-motion animation in mainstream cinema, which had become a dying art form over the decades. He also lays down a high quality marker for the rest of the year’s releases, and most importantly delivers a delightful experience which will leave you exiting the cinema with a smile on your face.

The Bottom Line…

A classic family adventure story and ode to our four-legged friends told through the prism of a visionary filmmaker’s mind, ‘Isle of Dogs’ proves to be a quirky and delightful, beautifully crafted and socially conscious concoction from Wes Anderson—solidifying his position as one of the most unique cinematic voices working today, while keeping audiences enchanted throughout.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Fantasy animation heavily inspired by Japanese mythology which follows the story of ‘Kubo’; a humble young storyteller with a magical instrument who unwittingly summons dark ancient spirits that hunt him. Now on the run, Kubo and an unlikely group of allies are on a mission to uncover the secrets of his past and unleash an inner power that will vanquish his enemies.

Directed by Travis Knight and starring Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey among others.

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