Stop-motion animation has come a long, long way since its inception. While still something of an artistic niche, the genre continually produces some of the most original and creative acts of cinematic storytelling. Not all of the films manage to be commercially successful, but there is some innate quality about stop-motion that has staying power. Perhaps because what the audience sees is still truly three-dimensional, there’s some deeper tangibility. Isle of Dogs delivers a very human story with a sharp sense of humor and a wide range of emotion that amounts to the best film of 2018 so far.
Wes Anderson has come a long way as well. Famous for his visual style and droll scripts, he has garnered a small but loyal fanbase. His two most recent live-action feature films, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, have done a lot to broaden his quirky appeal but stop-motion is a perfect instrument for Anderson’s unique talents. The writer/director ventured back to the medium after Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and told a much broader story this time around. Much of the tapestry is familiar territory for Anderson, but there seemed to be a much more poignant subtext this time around. The social commentary isn’t hard to miss if you’re paying attention, but the film is perfectly enjoyable regardless. Once an indie filmmaking prospect, many of the hottest names in the business now line up to work with Anderson on a regular basis.
There is something about a disembodied voice, one which you recognize, that resonates powerfully with us…it’s the reason celebrities get paid to voice over commercials. Douglas Aibel and Kunichi Nomura put together an impeccable cast and the voice acting performances across the board were spectacular. Notably, Bryan Cranston was excellent as Chief and he’s backed up by frequent Anderson collaborators, Bill Murray (Boss) and Ed Norton (Rex) while the always wonderful Jeff Goldblum (Duke) and Bob Balaban round out the primary pack. Liev Schreiber (Spots) plays an important role as the story unfolds, but you’ll hear Scarlett Johansson (Nutmeg) and Harvey Keitel (Gondo) play important roles too.
As fun as they are, the dogs aren’t the only focus of the film. There are several human characters that play central roles in the story. Nomura took double duty and voiced the somewhat villainous Mayor Kobayahsi while Koyu Rankin played the mayor’s distant nephew and defiant ward, Atari. When Mayor Kobayashi issues a decree banning all dogs from the city, Atari commandeers a small prop plane and crash lands on the Isle of Dogs (Trash Island) in an effort to find his dog. It may seem like the plot centers on a boy trying to find his lost pet, but the narrative’s central conflict revolves around the differences between Atari and the Mayor. Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig plays a foreign exchange student who’s got a bit of a thing for Atari and is set on exposing a massive anti-dog conspiracy. Joining her, recent Academy Award winner Fracnes McDormand has a small role translating some of what we hear into English. You’ll even hear characters voiced by Yoko Ono (Assistant Scientist Yoko-ono) and Tilda Swinton (Oracle).
Another Oscar winner, Alexandre Desplat, created the original score for the film which gave it a very specific and distinct character. Like Anderson’s other work, this movie was character driven and typically witty dialogue acts as the fuel. However, at its core, this was an adventure film and Desplat’s music injected a sense of wonder and curiosity. There’s a lot going on throughout the film, even though the story is linear, and having an excellent score to help guide the audience’s journey went a long way in complementing the exceptional visual storytelling. Desplat could very well be in line for another Oscar nomination for his efforts.
Another large part of bringing this idea to life was crafting a distinctive visual character. Adam Stockhausen and Paul Harrod had a pretty tall task crafting a world from scratch. Stockhausen had worked with Anderson multiple times before and recently done the incredible production design for Ready Player One. Harrod doesn’t have the resume although he’s worked on stop-motion projects before and performed a wide range of duties, but clearly it paid off. The design for Isle of Dogs is impeccable, successfully blending American and Japanese elements even though many of them are cliches. For the cinematography, Anderson once again turned to long time stop-motion guru Tristan Oliver. He previously served as director of photography on Fantastic Mr. Fox and also did the animation in Grand Budapest Hotel, so he was the natural choice. There are many close-ups that showcase the fervent detail that went into sculpting the models which added some layers of authenticity. Additionally, there are a good number of juxtaposed background/foreground shots that create a beautiful depth of field. It’s a little tough to explain, but there’s a fullness present in each shot that you just don’t often.
When you combine all the strengths of this film, you get a journey that’s genuinely rewarding, and not in an audience pandering kind of way. Something about presenting the animals as very human-like characters lowers some barriers and connects us with what we watched. It will almost certainly be nominated for Best Animated Film and may perform well across a number of categories. Unfortunately, the film hasn’t done particularly well with its release date in something of no man’s land between Black Panther and Ready Player One. Opening on the same weekend as Pacific Rim Uprising and Tomb Raider probably wasn’t the smartest move by Fox Searchlight either. Had this movie come out in the fourth quarter, heading into awards season, I think it would be carrying a lot more buzz. That being said, word of mouth should do this movie some good down the stretch.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of Wes Anderson’s other films, then there’s no reason you won’t enjoy this. And if you’re willing to take a chance on an eccentric animated feature, odds are you won’t leave feeling cheated. Although there are some heavy themes, it’s completely suitable for families and works as a date movie or an afternoon weekend outing.
Grade: A-