Isle of Dogs
(USA, 101 min.)
Written and directed by Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Koyu
Rankin, Liev Schreiber, Greta Gerwig, Frances
McDormand, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda
Swinton, Courtney B. Vance, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono
 |
| Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Give Wes Anderson a bone! His latest film Isle of Dogs is pooch perfection. Even a
die-hard cat person will fall head over heels in love with this movie and leave
the theatre doing little back flips whilst yapping for joy.
Anderson returns to the bright and wonderful world of animation after 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and his new storybook lark might be his best film yet. Trading foxes for dogs but keeping the story world within the wonderful Canidae family, Anderson delivers a fanciful universe that is bound to put an exuberant smile on the face of anyone who sees it. Isle of Dogs is honestly the most wonderful 101 minutes I’ve spent in a theatre for as long as I can remember.
Get ready to run since this energetic adventure doesn’t skip
a beat once the thunderous kettledrums summon its opening act. Isle of Dogs unfurls with the madcap
energy of The Grand Budapest Hotel
and the whimsy of Fantastic Mr. Fox
as Anderson transports audiences two decades into the future to the mythical
city of Megaski, Japan where an outbreak of Snout Fever threatens the dog
population. Megaski’s nasty leader (and unabashed cat person) Mayor Kobayashi
banishes all afflicted pooches to the exile colony of Trash Island. Dogs may be
considered man’s best friend, but Kobayashi shows them no respect.
The pets left stranded on the island of misfit toys have
banded into factions. Our story features a muttley
crew of five dogs—four stranded pets and one stray mutt. The domestic quartet includes
Rex (Edward Norton), a goodie goody loyal type; Boss (Bill Murray), a chipper
if slightly basic former mascot of a baseball team; Duke (Jeff Goldblum), a chatty
critter who sticks his nose in other dogs’ business; and King (Bob Balaban), a
celebrity on Trash Island for his glory days as the spokesdoggie of Doggy Chop
treats. The mutt joining these boys is Chief (Bryan Cranston), a rebellious
iconoclast who follows his nose for survival.
Snout Fever and Dog Flu afflict all these pups and they
wheeze and sneeze as they traverse Trash Island in search of better food. Along
the way, they encounter a young human, Atari (Koyu Rankin), who crashes on the
island while searching for his dog Spots that was taken by the decree of his
uncle, Mayor Kobayashi. As the dogs help Atari search for Spots (Chief
begrudgingly so), they navigate the kindred bond that humans share with
non-human animals. The aspect of companionship is a vital elixir that gives
these doggies hope: if one young boy is trying to save his pet, perhaps the
other dog owners of Megasaki want their four-legged friends to come home
safely.
There’s more to the story, however, as the humans and
animals learn. Isle of Dogs features
a sprawling ensemble of characters within this animated animal empire as
Anderson offers countless personalities to add colour to the tale. Some
snippets introduce a plucky American exchange student named Tracy (Greta
Gerwig) who spins wild yet plausible conspiracy theories alleging Mayor
Kobayashi’s pro-cat faction. (The film is hilariously wicked towards cat people
as if we’re all kitty-stroking villains from James Bond movies.) The human
world features a gaggle of scientists (including one voiced by Yoko Ono)
working feverishly and tirelessly to devise cures for Snout Fever and Dog Flu
so that the pets of Megaski will return home.
The non-dog characters speak in their native tongue (re:
untranslated Japanese/Japanese-ish) while Anderson translates the local dialect
of the dogs into English. The result adds an amusing panache of culture clash
as Anderson turns the tables on the conventional mode of communication between humans
and animals: we don’t know what the other is saying, but we pretend to
understand. Dogs features some
running translation by American news translator Nelson (Frances McDormand) who
interprets the goings-on in Megasaki with occasional commentary.
The sprawling cast extends to equally memorable turns and
cameos in the dog world with Scarlett Johansson appearing as Nutmeg, a show dog
who wins Chief’s attention and a pair of sage advisors voiced by F. Murray
Abraham and Tilda Swinton. Every performance big and small is something to
cherish as the actors give frisky and lively readings to bring these canines to
life.
Anderson truly creates a unique world that enchants with
every step the dogs take. The stop-motion animation is gorgeously conceived and
realized. The dogs are scruffy and dishevelled—far from the crisp lines and
perfectly rounded characters one sees in CGI designs, and the offbeat
characterization of the dogs and their world finds humour in their
imperfections. Despite their storybook coats and jerky movements, the dogs have
eyes that sparkle with lifelike clarity and personality. These dogs have
feelings and one can see it in their eyes.
The cleverness of the cinematic universe of Trash Island is
a remarkable sight. Ingenious production design by The Grand Budapest Hotel’s team of Adam Stockhausen and Paul Harrod
creates a doggy dystopia of garbage and refuse, while the details of Megaski,
like the feline-adorned murals of Kobayashi’s lair, thrill with the subtle
elements of character they inject into every frame. The music by Anderson
regular Alexandre Desplat might be the very best work yet in an illustrious
career as the score of Isle of Dogs
sparkles with notes of enchantment and innocent bliss—like the whimsical
happiness dogs must feel when something new is in the air. From concept through
execution, the film is pure doggy style.
The brisk pacing of Isle
of Dogs ensures that Chief, Atari, and the other mutts traverse the island
quickly to allow audiences to marvel at the wonder of their environment. The
storytelling has a unique indebtedness to Japanese cinema as well, for Anderson
and company liken chief to a canine Yojimbo as he roams the land like a
rebellious anti-hero. Each scene is steeped in folklore and cinephilia, and the
humour treads a delicate balance of homage and whimsy. The film is a tale about respecting outsiders
and seeing beyond difference—there’s an unexpected humanity to the film with
its message about community and xenophobia.
Isle of Dogs is a
marvel of storytelling and direction as Anderson creates a warm affinity
between the dogs and their human allies. Any animal lover is bound to relate to
the comforting warmth a pet provides as Chief softens up to Atari and helps the
boy find his cherished friend. Even an unabashed cat lover could not recommend
the company of these dogs enough.
Isle of Dogs opens in theatres March 23rd.
