Wes Anderson is one of my favorite
filmmakers working today. The unique style
of his movies’ narrative, tone, and visuals makes them immediately endearing. One of my most favorite films
of his, if not my most favorite, is Fantastic
Mr. Fox. I loved how his trademark filmmaking
approach works impeccably through the stop-motion animated medium. Then, it was his only animated work, and I really
wished he would do more.
When the trailer for Isle of Dogs dropped, it was the first
time I was made aware that Wes Anderson has a new stop-motion animated movie. Since then, I was eagerly anticipating of
finally watching it – which I’ve just done recently. And, as expected, I adored it.
Isle of Dogs is set in near-future Japan, in which the
authoritarian mayor of Megasaki City (Kunichi Nomura), as response to an
outbreak of canine flu, decrees that all dogs are to be exiled to the same island
where the city’s trash is dumped. The
plot centers on 12-year-old Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), the mayor’s nephew, who
– in his desire to reunite with Spots (Live Schreiber), his beloved bodyguard
dog – steals a mini-plane and crashes into the island. Coming into his aid is a pack of canine misfits
– Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaband), Boss (Bill
Murray), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum). Meanwhile,
their quest inspires a group of young pro-dog activists, spearheaded by
American exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig, director of Lady Bird), to expose an anti-dog
conspiracy.
The eccentric yet heartwarming story
is mightily appealing and thematically multi-layered. It’s something that dog lovers will especially
love, but even those who aren’t will still be pleased about. Furthermore, the deadpan humor is beyond
excellent.
On the other hand, the superior
quality of the animation should go without saying (but I’m saying it anway. lol). It almost always comes with the territory when it’s stop-motion.
Another thing worth of note is
the terrific voice acting. The ensemble cast really delivered performances that give justice to their all-star power. Aside from those already
mentioned in the synopsis above, other big names in the cast are Scarlett Johansson, Frances
McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Ken Watanabe.
Overall, I quite enjoyed Isle of Dogs – maybe even more than I
enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox (Maybe I’m just a prisoner of the
moment. Need to rewatch both to be sure). My only issue with it – but just a very slight
one – is that I felt the ending was a bit weak.
Other than that, I believe this movie is a delightful masterpiece.
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