Isle Of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Screenwriter: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Ken Watanabe, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Harvey Keitel, Koyu Rankin, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, F. Murray Abraham, Yojiro Noda, Mari Natsukim, Yoko Ono, Frank Wood
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Rated PG-13 | 101 Minutes
Release Date: March 23, 2018 (Limited); April 6, 2018 (Wide)

There is plenty of visually pleasing aesthetics to look at when seeing a film like Wes Anderson‘s Isle Of Dogs. The director’s latest stop-motion animation effort has all of his signature symmetrical, camera-panning style and deadpan humor. It also happens to be one of Anderson’s most politically charged films by addressing some very serious themes that affect us today. Unfortunately, none of that takes away from the fact that there is some appropriation going on, with the added white savior factor, and that the Japanese characters are playing supporting roles in a film set entirely in Japan.

Therein lies one of the greatest problems of this film. How much of it is Anderson paying homage to a culture by using the beautiful aesthetics and Akira Kurosawa inspirations, and how much of it is his signature being written over a culture? It’s the paradox that just keeps on giving. Check out my full review here below.

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.