Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs masters the art of stop motion animation in its visual appeal and camera work

Since the beginning, dogs have been man’s best friend. This artistic tale of a boy and his dog exemplifies what beauty can come from animation. Done by the prestigious writer/director Wes Anderson, Isle of dogs treats the relationship between a dog and their owner as something special that can never be destroyed.

Anderson’s newest motion picture Isle of Dogs captures his style very well. Centering on young Atari and his adventure to find his dog, Spots, who was sent to trash island along with every other dog in Megasaki, Japan due to an outbreak of a dangerous disease known as the dog flu. Along the way, Atari (Koyu Rankin) meets and befriends a small pack of five dogs by the names of Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) who embark on the journey to find Spots as well.

Like Director Wes Anderson’s previous films, Isle of Dogs is Indie-centric. Despite being distributed by Fox, having an assortment of well-known actors, and making over 25 million dollars as of May 2, the artistic narrative reflects that of independent style in the camera work, characterization, and thematic music.With beautiful shots and gorgeous animation, this instant stop motion classic makes for a great experience in theaters. The direction and score are both great on their own as well, but I cannot stress enough how great the cinematography is. Working with many different camera angles, Anderson proves he is an outstanding director.

With beautiful shots and gorgeous animation, this instant stop motion classic makes for a great experience in theaters

The voice acting done as a whole could have been better in my opinion. Although Bryan Cranston as Chief was a very good performance, the large majority of the cast lacked the emotional power in their voices to portray their characters. Maybe that was the point, but that being said it still seemed bland and underwhelming.

The fact that Isle of Dogs succeeds in its smooth animation is what puts the film above most other films in their genre. A great portrayal of the hued vision of Wes Anderson, the instant classic is one to be talked about for years to come as an example how a stop motion movie should be made.