By ABBY GROFF
Staff Writer
Wes Anderson, popular film director from Houston, is best known for a handful of movies such as Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). All of these projects have received high praise from critics, but there’s one Anderson film in particular with noticeably little talk about it: Isle of Dogs.
Isle of Dogs (2018) was released only in select theaters along with a PG-13 rating. An animation with a rating like that slapped across it is basically a death wish for the box office, especially if it’s stop-motion as well. Because animation is widely known as “family friendly,” it’s hard to get people of all ages to come in for a movie such as Isle of Dogs with some adult themes.
Despite the concerns from parents before its release, the movie ended up surpassing many movie-goers’ expectations. One Rotten Tomatoes critic describes it as something that will “make the common adult feel like a kid inside, but make them laugh out loud and keep their brain wired to the modern dilemma at the same time,” (Buffa). Elements or themes of Isle of Dogs consist of loyalty to those closest to you and speaking out towards what you believe in: an important message for children and adults alike.
In a fictional Japanese city named Megasaki, Mayor Kobayashi (most likely a cat person) declares that all canine pets must be exiled to an abandoned “Trash Island” with fears of the dogs’ supposed sickness spreading to humans. Kobayashi’s twelve year-old nephew, Atari, opposes this rule and makes an attempt to rescue his lost bodyguard dog from the island, Spots. Along the way he meets a pack of dogs that are willing to help with the rescue mission in hopes that, they too, will find a way home. The casting for this movie is wonderful including big names such as Bryan Cranston as Chief, Bill Murray as Boss, Jeff Goldblum as Duke, and many more. For actors typically in live action productions, they all did really well as voice actors making these characters come to life. Duke’s character specifically was my favorite, as Goldblum’s personality matched the dog perfectly.
As mentioned before, Isle of Dogs is a stop motion animation. This means the film isn’t hand drawn or created with a computer program, rather the character models are handmade and physically moved for each frame to create motion. The dogs’ fur was made with alpaca wool and really gave them this authentic look. It made the movie interesting to watch, but it was still cartoonish enough for viewers to enjoy. The sets that were made were beautifully crafted, as well as the props. All the unique color schemes in each were like eye-candy.
The story’s main character, Chief, had excellent character development that didn’t feel rushed or moved too slowly. While the film begins a little slow, it quickly picks up and the audience is reeled in by each of the dogs’ personalities. The characters were written very well, the designs were top-notch, the theme could be understood universally, and the actors didn’t miss. Isle of Dogs is a film in my top five, and I think it’s one that can be enjoyed by anyone interested in stop motion or enjoying the relationship between a boy and his dog. Due to some dark jokes (that may fly over kids’ heads anyways), the film does deserve its PG-13 rating. However, it’s pretty safe for families to watch together. I personally give this movie 4 ½ stars out of 5.