Wes Anderson is a 'marmite' director. Yet whether you love or loathe his films, it's impossible to not admire his talents. His style is unconventional and distinctive, but over the course of his career he has perfected the skills that have become synonymous with his work. His latest effort is littered with such techniques that make it feel like vintage Anderson. However, it's peculiar narrative and setting separates Isle of Dogs from the pack, making it feel fresh and completely original.
Set in a not too distant future, an outbreak of 'Dog Flu' in Japan has caused Mayor Kobayashi to quarantine all of the district's dogs on 'Trash Island'. Youngster Atari (Koya Rankin) travels to the wasteland, where he enlists the help of a pack of exiled canines to find his lost dog Spots (Liev Schreiber).
This film looks incredible. The stop-motion animation, as seen in Fantastic Mr Fox, is impeccable. The dogs themselves are adequately rugged and scruffy from their exile, but this only really adds to their cuteness. 'Trash Island' itself has a strange beauty to it - between the mountains of man-made waste that are crawling with rats there are haunting skylines and caves illuminated by their glass bottle ceilings. The cinematography is meticulous - you can sense how much effort has gone into each and every frame. Anderson's obsession with the subject's centrality on screen features heavily, but it's the smaller, mostly inconsequential movements of those in the background that are particularly special. The work that must go into creating the incredibly complex tracking shots that naturally follow the camera is mind boggling.
As a stark contrast to the poverty that the dogs live in, Megasaki City offers a vibrant and authentic depiction of Japan. Some have criticised that Megasaki is just a collection of racial stereotypes, but for me it provided an interesting insight in Japanese culture, as much as a fictional city can at least. We see taiko drumming and traditional Japanese performing arts, which go a long way to make the experience feel genuine and respectful. There is also a very conscious decision from Anderson to not translate most of the Japanese spoken throughout. However, there is never a language barrier presented and you can understand exactly what the characters are saying without knowing any of the words being used, which is no mean feat, especially in an animated movie.
Typically of Anderson's movies, the sheen of lighthearted and comedic fun covers some grim and grizzly themes. On the one hand you have scraps that transform into clouds of dust that look fresh out of a Beano comic, whilst on the other you have a dog biting clean though another's ear and a preparation of sushi that somehow feels visceral. There are also some not so subtle political subtexts that you can read into if you wish to. But whilst all that unfolds, you find a tender and heartwarming story of a boy and his dog at the core. The transformation of Bryan Cranston's Chief from self-proclaimed 'alpha-dog' into adoring companion is both moving and humorous.
The voice cast itself is amazing, the kind that only a director of Anderson's calibre could really attract. The balance of so many great actors is a little off - Edward Norton and Scarlett Johansson really shine whilst Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum feel almost criminally under utilised.
Isle of Dogs is an original and delightful experience. The animation and the camerawork is lovingly crafted around a collection of crazy characters and an even crazier plot. In fact, it's absolutely (barking) mad, but that's what makes it so brilliant.
4/5 Stars
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