JessIsle of Dogs (2018) Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton. IMDB says: “Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his lost dog.”
Beautifully crafted scenes with every detail within each frame carefully considered and composed. An evocative and whimsical score paired with ideal song selections. There’s a surly older male and children who speak and behave more like adults. Witty, laugh out loud comedy mixed with truly dark, sad moments. An adventure is bound to unfold. Wes Anderson certainly returns to his trademark aesthetic and stories over and over. I’m always here for it though and Isle of Dogs is no different. The familiar feeling is like the return of a friend. It’s always exciting to see what Anderson is going to do next. Returning to the stop-motion animation seen in Fantastic Mr. Fox (arguably his very best), Isle of Dogs is a stunning and creative sight.
In the midst of a dog flu outbreak in fictional Megasaki City, house pets and stray dogs alike are banished to Trash Island by the canine-loathing Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura, who shares a story credit). A pack of dogs led by the grizzled Chief (Bryan Cranston) includes Rex, Duke, Boss, and King (Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, and Bob Balaban). Their daily routine of scavenging and scrapping with other dog packs is interrupted by the arrival of Atari (Koyu Rankin), who they agree to help track down his dog Spots. On the mainland, the Mayor seeks reelection, a scientist works on the cure for the dog flu, and a young American exchange student inspires a rebellion.
With so many moving parts it does feel lacking in as many strongly written characters as usual. While there are some standouts, many feel like they are just part of the action. There’s an interesting approach to the language barrier. Japanese speakers are mainly understood through context or translators, rarely with subtitles. It can be quite fun to see the many approaches to this, but it does reduce most of the Japanese characters to caricatures. The exchange student Tracy (Greta Gerwig) comes off a little brash and cringey, constantly yelling at Japanese people while being one of the film’s few human heroes. It’s hard to imagine there’s any reason for her to be American other than avoiding translating.
Most of this does not really impact the overall enjoyment of the film too much, as it’s still a delightful tale with a really sweet take on the love between dogs and their owners. There’s more than a few surprisingly morbid moments, but it all balances out. While obviously inspired by some stereotypical Japanese aesthetics, it also feels like its own fictional world (no doubt due to the gorgeous animation). The story moves along swiftly but I found myself wishing for it to slow down to completely revel in each visual detail. The story doesn’t stand out quite as much as other Anderson movies before it, but Isle of Dogs is still a treat for fans.
FTS SCORE: 85%
Isle of Dogs is currently in theaters.