Wes Anderson films are anything but conventional. He has a visual sense composed of flat cameras, snappy zooms, symmetrical compositions, hand-made art, and miniature feels, that give the film’s setting a sense of uniqueness. On top of that, he has a quirky and yet hypnotic soundtrack that often utilizes pop songs of the ’60s and ’70s. Then there is the dysfunctional family that takes center stage of the storytelling. And while all of that plays a huge role in his live-action films, Anderson has also dipped his hand into stop-motion animation. An animation medium where his skills can be put to good uses because of its use of practical hand made set pieces.

Which takes us to Isle of Dogs, Anderson’s latest directorial effort that uses stop-motion animation. And just wait until you hear who has lent their talents for the film. Check out the cast and trailer below.

Okay, so before we get into the trailer, here is the cast, which features a cavalcade of Anderson’s recurring collaborators and a few newcomers like Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Fisher Stevens, Mari Natsuki, Harvey Keitel, Koyu Rankin, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, F. Murray Abraham, Yojiro Noda, and Yoko Ono.

Okay now that we got the cast out of the way, let’s take a look at the film itself, which by the way, looks gorgeous. Anderson had been working on the project for quite some time, and officially announced it in December of last year, where we got a small taste of what’s to come. But now the full trailer gives us a look at the style, tone, and visuals, which have Anderson written all over it. The comedy feels a lot like director’s previous animated effort Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

ISLE OF DOGS tells the story of ATARI KOBAYASHI, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.

While Isle of Dogs looks like it will be another amazing Anderson film, we won’t get to see it until next year when it hits theaters on March 23, 2018. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more trailers by then.

Trailer

[Source: Fox Searchlight YT]