Isle of Dogs Movie Review

Isle of Dogs, the newest film from director Wes Anderson, is a whimsical tale about a boy on a quest to rescue his exiled friend. Wes Anderson, who is known for his mise-en-scéne sets, playful color schemes, and symmetrical camera work, delivered a stop-motion animation masterpiece.

In Megasaki City, tyrannical Mayor Kobayashi exiles the canine race to a trash filled Island due to their contagious illness called the dog flu. The first dog to be banished to Trash Island was the bodyguard dog of Atari, the orphaned nephew and ward of Mayor Kobayashi, Spots. In Atari’s quest to find his best friend, he is assisted by the gossip loving dog Duke, former dog food celebrity, King, the once sports team mascot, Boss, the heroic Rex, and the misunderstood stray dog, Chief.

Wes Anderson’s use of stop-motion highlights the movie’s playful, and childlike, approach to the essential theme: man’s best friend.

The cast is made up of several of Wes Anderson’s go-to actors such as Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Jeff Goldblum. In contrast to most of Anderson’s movies, the actors only provided their voices. Similar to the characters, the sets are very stylized and fantastical, yet they remain able to offer beautiful and dramatic views at times in the movie.

Isle of Dogs offers viewers feelings of whimsy and delight. It is great to watch with your family or friends because of its light hearted sentiment, and it is sure to send any newcomer of Wes Anderson into a frenzy.