Wes Anderson capitalises on quirkiness and eccentricity to produce works of art that are weird and fun but not too weird that it is indigestible. Joining the ranks of The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel etc. Isle of Dogs is the atypical Anderson film with his signature marks – bizarre storylines that fascinate your “inner child”, adorable characters that are just too cute to deal with, Edward Norton and Bill Murray and that one zooming in shot that he uses in every one of his films.
The story itself was written by Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Kunichi Nomura, the first three having collaborated in Anderson’s films before. Set in Megasaki City, Japan (not a real city), Anderson presents a society split in two as a result of a dog-flu and other canine related biohazard disasters that are rampant throughout the city and produce a mass anti-dog hysteria. With a Mayor who happens to be part of a royal dynasty obsessed with cats, the anti-dog campaign trumps and so beloved pets and strays alike are sent to Trash Island. So unfolds the lives of five alpha dogs stuck on this land of garbage however everything changes when Mayor Kobayashi’s 12-year old nephew, Atari, crash lands on the island in search of his beloved dog. So the film begins.
I will admit that stop-motion animation is not my thing or something that I can really appreciate however perhaps this film changed my opinion. Everything was impeccably thought out, every moment reflecting Anderson’s care and consideration in the detail. Despite being his second stop-motion film (his first Fantastic Mr Fox), it seemed like Anderson had spent a lifetime working on the film. Stop-motion animation, despite the improvements in technology, is still the compilation of small 3-D movements shot frame by frame and Isle of Dogs, has scenes that seem so complex, it is hard to imagine the work required. The opening scene of the Japanese drummers, moving in fast and dynamic motions seemed dizzyingly complex but was perfectly executed, setting the tone for the rest of the film. The micro-sets themselves were intricate and ambitious, especially the ones that take place in the science lab halfway through the film.
Despite having a highly predictable and conventional ending that undermines Anderson’s creative genius, the first half of the film makes the entire film worth watching. The film itself, deals with complex themes of corruption, inhumanity and being an outsider and reflects Anderson’s intense fascination with Japanese cinema: heroism of the deemed insignificant, noble loyalty of canine-companions, rejection of intolerance etc. As Anderson himself stated “We think of it as referring to a whole range of Japanese filmmakers and Japanese culture, but Kurosawa is the main movie influence” with Kurosawa’s Drunken Angel, Stray Dog and High and Low all dealing with similar layers of corruption and humanity and Anderson drawing on these themes but transforming them in an inventive manner. The very idea of using dogs as the centre of the narrative is just ingenious, the writing is hilarious while meaningful at the same time and the character development reflects creativity and imagination.
A humorous, heart-warming and quirky film, Isle of Dogs, exceeded my expectations and admittedly, changed my long-held perspective on stop-motion animation. Though older audiences would be inclined to dismiss the film for its perhaps juvenile look, I would argue that it is a testament of Anderson’s genius and for that, totally worth watching.
Tiana (17)