Isle of Dogs

As with every summer film season, there are always a certain amount of animated flicks. Although this is still technically the dead zone, this is pre summer and with that we have "Isle of Dogs" in the offing, and it is a remarkable film.

 

In this stop-motion-animated film, an outbreak of canine flu in Japan leads all dogs to be quarantined on Trash Island per an executive decree by Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) of Megasaki City. A 12-year-old boy, Atari (Koyu Rankin) sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), and receives help from a pack of misfit canines including Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban) Boss (Bill Murray), Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson) and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) who have also been exiled. Atari's quest inspires a group of dog lovers including Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) to expose a government conspiracy. This journey will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.

 

Others to round out the cast are Frances McDormand as Interpreter Nelson, Akira Ito as Professor Watanabe, Akira Takayama as Major-Domo, Harvey Keitel as Gondo and F. Murray Abraham as Jupiter.

 

This was quirkily and dryly written and directed by Wes Anderson ("Bottle Rocket" '96, "Rushmore" '98, "The Royal Tenenbaums" '01, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" '04, "The Darjeeling Limited" '07, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" '09, "Moonrise Kingdom" '12, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" '14) plus shorts. Every film this filmmaker has done definitely has his stamped trademark on it, hence the incredible powder-dry humor it's laced with. Some of the lines are so dry, that they don't seem funny which is why one must listen to the storyline instead of merely counting on what's being said. Although his projects are similar in style, the premises are as diverse as the characters. Anderson is certainly a filmmaker that takes some getting used to, but once you do, you will love his style and dry wit as he conveys his stories. What's interesting is that between his live and animated films, they are still similar in how they are conveyed, it catches by surprise. Being created in the stop-motion animation leans this movie in being more original than their counterparts, which, again keeps that similarity chugging along. Whether live or animated, Anderson's films have proven themselves time and again. The animation was truly stunning and could likely be nominated come Oscar time.

 

Between smart directing and a whimsical script, Anderson has definitely tapped into an audience that can love and respect his style of film. And with this kind of approval from his fans, he will continue to make films for quite sometime. If you like whimsy, you will love this, and even if you're more into the commercial fare, you can then respect the talents of this filmmaker.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG-13                                   101mins.