![]() ![]() Using the earpiece that both boy and dog wore, Atari ventures in a plane to Trash Island, where he hopes to find Spots among the thousands of other dogs deposited there. The mayor of Megasaki (voiced by Kunichi Nomura) deports his own dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), to the island first as a show of solidarity, breaking the heart of his young ward Atari (Koyu Rankin), for whom Spots served as both companion and security guard. Set in Japan - or at least the Japan that Anderson imagines - the tale begins with the banishment of every dog to Trash Island due to an outbreak of “dog flu,” which not only makes canines unpleasant to be around but can be harmful to humans. ![]() The story is told, like all Anderson’s films, in a fable-like manner that’s broken up into chapters and includes voiceover narration. Isle of Dogs, however, is a different (pardon the pun) animal: while it’s visually incredible and amazingly detailed, it’s only intermittently charming, far too long for such a thin, meandering plot, and walks a thin line between humor and stereotype that is already inciting accusations of misguided cultural appropriation. That film is one of my favorite Anderson efforts, full of charm, sly humor and, for the director, possibly the most warmth since his brilliant second feature, Rushmore. His best and worst attributes are on full display in Isle of Dogs, his ninth feature and his second stop-motion animation film since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. But that’s only occasionally, because his biggest flaw as a filmmaker is the ironic detachment that is ingrained in every single minute of every single movie he’s ever made, a detachment that can lead to either confused laughter or sometimes just boredom. He creates often wonderfully quirky characters, settings and situations that occasionally touch on powerful or poignant emotional truths about love, family and humanity. ![]() Wes Anderson has always been a mixed bag for this writer: on the one hand, his films are uniquely his vision - you never mistake a Wes Anderson movie for anything else. ![]()
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