"Isle of Dogs" is My Favorite Wes Anderson Movie
I suppose it is ridiculous to call the movie I've only seen once, for the first time, one day ago, my very favorite movie from an established auteur, whose movies the hipster community has admired for years. Some would argue that the movie is so fresh to me, compared to all of the others, that my mind has a completely skewed vision of his movies. I think they are wrong; forget "Moonrise Kingdom", forget "The Life Aquatic"- this is the very best thing Wes Anderson has gifted us. And I do mean, "Isle of Dogs" is, truly, a gift.
Set in fictional Japan, this a claymation rendering of dogs- many dogs- in their victimization by the government which has turned against them, sending them all to quarantine on a Trash Island, after an outbreak of dog pestilence. The plot follows a pack of dogs, many of them voiced by our token Wes Anderson cast members (i.e. Edward Norton, Bill Murray, etc.), as they search for a fabled leader-dog, Spots, who has also been exiled.
The concept of a Japanese-themed dog island is so refreshing, yet familiar to me. I am reminded of Watership Down, "Plague Dogs", and, strangely, Battle Royale. Many critics have scorned this movie for appropriating Japanese culture, and to them, I would argue that Wes Anderson is not well-known for realistically depicting the world. This is an artist's rendering of Japanese culture, which means some aspects may be exaggerated for aesthetic purposes.
That being said, this is a beautiful movie. As usual, Anderson's artwork is highly detail-oriented. There are many shots in this movie that absolutely dazzled me (especially when I remembered that everything was created out of plasticine material, and animated). Keep in mind, this movie is still in theaters, so there aren't many examples of stills from it online yet. Check these out:
With every movie Wes Anderson releases, his cinematography becomes better. From the dogs' scars, to falling cherry blossoms on their noses, his attention to detail is superb. I also believe that claymation is a more impactful medium for his work, because he normally presents his characters as so flat and awkward in dialogue, and it seems more sensible for his characters to be animals. The way he approaches animal mistreatment is beautiful; he presents them as strong, yet vulnerable. There are moments of humor, and moments of tragedy. Overall, "Isle of Dogs" is an amazing work of art that I will not forget.
Set in fictional Japan, this a claymation rendering of dogs- many dogs- in their victimization by the government which has turned against them, sending them all to quarantine on a Trash Island, after an outbreak of dog pestilence. The plot follows a pack of dogs, many of them voiced by our token Wes Anderson cast members (i.e. Edward Norton, Bill Murray, etc.), as they search for a fabled leader-dog, Spots, who has also been exiled.
The concept of a Japanese-themed dog island is so refreshing, yet familiar to me. I am reminded of Watership Down, "Plague Dogs", and, strangely, Battle Royale. Many critics have scorned this movie for appropriating Japanese culture, and to them, I would argue that Wes Anderson is not well-known for realistically depicting the world. This is an artist's rendering of Japanese culture, which means some aspects may be exaggerated for aesthetic purposes.
That being said, this is a beautiful movie. As usual, Anderson's artwork is highly detail-oriented. There are many shots in this movie that absolutely dazzled me (especially when I remembered that everything was created out of plasticine material, and animated). Keep in mind, this movie is still in theaters, so there aren't many examples of stills from it online yet. Check these out:
With every movie Wes Anderson releases, his cinematography becomes better. From the dogs' scars, to falling cherry blossoms on their noses, his attention to detail is superb. I also believe that claymation is a more impactful medium for his work, because he normally presents his characters as so flat and awkward in dialogue, and it seems more sensible for his characters to be animals. The way he approaches animal mistreatment is beautiful; he presents them as strong, yet vulnerable. There are moments of humor, and moments of tragedy. Overall, "Isle of Dogs" is an amazing work of art that I will not forget.
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