Isle of Dogs

Isle of Dogs

Starring Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bill Murray

Directed by Wes Anderson

The Story:
Twenty years in the future, a canine virus is sweeping Japan, leading Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) to exile all dogs to an island known as Trash Island, including his own dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), who was brought on to protect Kobayashi's ward Atari (Koyu Rankin).

Six months later, Atari hijacks a plane and crash lands on Trash Island, looking for his lost dog.  He's picked up by a pack of alpha dogs led by stray Chief (Bryan Cranston), who doesn't really care for the boy.  Yet the other members of his pack - Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) convince him to help Atari find his lost dog.

Meanwhile, on the mainland, Kobayashi is planning on putting down all the dogs on the island during the re-election, and American foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) sets out to stop him before he eradicates the dogs.

The Synopsis:
I've seen the majority of film by director Wes Anderson (surprisingly, I haven't seen "Moonrise Kingdom" yet), and if there's one thing to be said about the man: he sure creates films that leave lasting impressions.  His first outing with stop motion - 2009's "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" - was met with critical and audience acclaim, rendering a beautifully-visual film with a top-notch voice cast and solid story.

He repeats his stop motion work with "Isle of Dogs" - or, if you say it fast enough, "I Love Dogs" - where he one-ups his previous work in creating a visually stunning film that has heart, emotion, and humor, a film that can be enjoyed by the entire family (yet only the adults will truly appreciate the nuances Anderson delivers).  Anderson also leaves the film open-ended, where you can draw comparisons to national events going on today to the film in ways that seem obvious, but could also be coincidental - taking the exile of dogs as exile of immigrants, for example.  However, even just taking the film at face value, it's a true delight from start to finish, one that requires multiple viewings to fully encapsulate what it delivers.

In the simplest terms, this is a film about a boy and his dog, a concept that's been done throughout cinema (most obvious comparison is the 1975 sci-fi film "A Boy and His Dog"), but here there's a deeper sense of comradere and heart as Atari - who bravely risks being killed - crash lands on the island of dogs in hopes of finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.  The journey he embarks (heh) on is touching and poignant, with humorous side-steps that prove Atari is still just a twelve year old boy (in particular a scene where he wants to slide down an amusement park ride is absolutely gut-rolling).

This adventure is outlined by a political war centering around the mayor of the town, who obviously prefers cats to dogs (as does his ancestors), and who resorts to typical political shenanigans to keep the dogs far away from his town.  This does not sit right with American foreign exchange student Tracy, who builds a coalition of like-minded individuals who hope to bring down the man.  This is where the film seems to have more modern undertones, bearing striking resemblances to events going on in the world today.  Is it coincidental?  Possibly, but again, you don't need to make your own presuppositions to fully enjoy the film.

The third story the film tells is that of Chief, played perfectly by Bryan Cranston, who leads the alpha dogs on Trash Island - including Rex (Edward Norton) - the wannabe leader who often holds a vote on everything,  King (Bob Balaban) - a former spokesdog, Boss (Bill Murray) - a former mascot for a baseball team, and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) - who hears all the rumors (in a hilarious running gag you continually hear him start off sentences with "did you hear the rumor?").  Chief is the only dog in the pack who was a stray before they were sent to Trash Island, and is wary of Atari and pretty much everyone else, but as the adventure continues, he learns to open himself up more and act like a domesticated dog - thanks to the advice of female dog Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson). 

Anderson reunites with several of his favorite actors (including Edward Norton and Bill Murray) and also calls upon the vast acting talents of Bryan Cranston, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johnasson, Harvey Keitel,  F. Murray Abraham, Ken Wantanabe, Liev Schrieber, Courtney B. Vance, and Yoko Ono to bring life to these vividly beautiful creations, and everyone delivers with ease and perfection.

With a strong vocal caliber to the film, the animation (brought by Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" director of photography Tristan Oliver) is just as powerful as the voices behind them.  Stop motion animation is no easy task, and "Isle of Dogs" is one of the longest films of that subgenre.  Careful, meticulous planning goes into every second of screentime, and Oliver doesn't waste a moment.  There's several layers to be appreciated that you can't easily do it with one sitting, and the story is so amazing you don't mind sitting through it again and again.

Another interesting aspect the film delivers - that Anderson plainly states in writing at the start - is that there are no subtitles.  When the Japanese people speak, you don't know what they're saying, unless accompanied by an interpreter (often played by Frances McDormand, in a very darkly humorous performance).  Instead, you rely on their facial expressions and how they move to convey what they're saying, but nothing gets lost in the translation.  The dogs' barks are turned to English, but that's it - something even Rex mentions when Atari is trying to talk to them, "I wish somebody spoke his language."  In a world of Anderson's design, the language spoken is one that we all can understand.

The Summary:
Combining beautiful imagery, a strong vocal cast, and a solid, emotional script, "Isle of Dogs" is everything and more you'd expect from a Wes Anderson film, and is a true delight that you'll want to watch over and over.

The Score: A+