Today’s quick review: Isle of Dogs. Two decades in the future, an outbreak of dog flu ravages the Japanese city of Megasaki. In response, Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) exiles the city’s dogs to a nearby trash island. Atari (Koyu Rankin), a twelve-year-old boy, ventures to the island, where he enlists the help of five dogs (Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, and Jeff Goldblum) to help him find his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber).
Isle of Dogs is a quirky stop-motion comedy from Wes Anderson. Isle of Dogs boasts a unique premise, elaborately detailed animation, a talented ensemble cast, and artful cinematography. The movie’s comedy has Wes Anderson’s signature style: wry, understated, and delivered with an utterly straight face. However, Isle of Dogs is one of his punchier films, with more overt humor, fast pacing, and a jaunty, Japanese-influenced score by Alexandre Desplat.
Isle of Dogs has a rich world that blends Japanese culture with original ideas and a touch of near-future sci-fi. The scenes and character models are fleshed out in painstaking detail, making the film a treat to look at. Isle of Dogs also toys with the language barrier: the dogs speak English, the humans mostly speak Japanese, and the film uses a number of clever devices to translate as needed. Even the credits are written in both languages.
Isle of Dogs also experiments with its cinematography. Wes Anderson brings his usual bag of tricks: square shots, symmetry, title cards, and a knack for juxtaposition. But in addition, Isle of Dogs makes use of split screen, traditional animation, and other unusual techniques to vary its visual repertoire. Even the simplest shots in the movie are interesting, while the more creative ones are in a league of their own.
As far as its story goes, Isle of Dogs is on solid footing. The plot centers around Atari’s search for his dog, aided by the canine inhabitants of the island. The emotional core of the movie is Atari’s relationship with Chief, voiced by Bryan Cranston, a stray who reluctantly helps the boy. However, the film doesn’t always play its hand as well as it could, and its enormous cast causes one or two subplots to get lost in the shuffle.
Isle of Dogs does have its weaknesses. The character models are well-animated but far from cute, placing the movie at the opposite end of the spectrum from typical Disney-style animation. The film’s straight-faced delivery and offbeat humor dampen its more emotional moments, although enough sentiment shines through to make them satisfying. More generally, Isle of Dogs is highly stylized in a way that some viewers won’t find appealing.
Isle of Dog is well worth a watch for fans of finely crafted cinema or smart comedies in general. How much you get out of the film will depend on how much you enjoy Wes Anderson’s style, but the film is funny and accessible enough to appeal to a wide audience. For another stop-motion comedy from Wes Anderson, check out Fantastic Mr. Fox. For an even more elaborate comedy, check out The Grand Budapest Hotel.
8.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for great humor, a novel premise, and extraordinary craftsmanship.