Kristin Reviews Isle of Dogs

Every few years, something audaciously unconventional and unapologetically ridiculous is delivered to theaters from producer, director, and writer Wes Anderson. This year, we got Isle of Dogs, a stop-motion animated fairy-tale-esque tale about a boy searching for his beloved canine companion, who has been exiled (along with all the other dogs in Japan) to Trash Island.

There are some who proudly proclaim themselves die-hard Anderson fans and consider his entire oeuvre to be genius on par with that of the universe itself. I’m not one of those people. I am consistently impressed with the filmmaker’s visual style, but not all of his stories have resonated with me. In the case of Isle of Dogs, the truly wonderful elements were not quite strong enough to win me over.

Isle of Dogs Grades

Overall Story: C+

The story itself is awkwardly simplistic, black-and-white, and devoid of any passion or emotional resonance. Some might argue that this was deliberate, given the film’s style, but I can’t help but imagine how good it could have been if the style and story had been evenly matched.

Visual Style: A

Anderson’s gift is in creating films that look like nothing else – aside from another Wes Anderson film – and this one is no exception.

In this case, the screen becomes a storybook, with supplemental information and translations provided in text and flat painting backgrounds in many locations. Every shot is filled with meticulous detail, and I found myself wanting to watch the movie again, just so I could catch all the things I missed the first time through (I didn’t though).

If there were an award for “best animation” (which I continually argue there should be), Isle of Dogs would be a strong contender.

Voice Acting: A

The cast is great and well suited to the characters.

Quirky Language-Barrier Elements: A

This was one of my favorite parts about the film. The fact that the dogs are unable to understand the human characters, but converse with each other naturally is a delightful twist, and the way Anderson provides translations is creative and fun.

Emotional Resonance: D

This is where the film fell flat. As incredible as it was to look at, and as delightful as Anderson’s unusual, and quirky ideas were, I never stopped marveling at the visual style and the quirkiness. None of the characters – human or canine – ever transcended "animated figure with a celebrity’s voice."

Just as the images had a flat, painting-like feel, so, too, did the story. Again, it is possible that this was by design, but if so, Anderson did himself and his audience a disservice by removing the opportunity to connect with his characters.

Overall Grade: B-

I would love to see Isle of Dogs nominated for Art Direction.

Anderson is frequently nominated for his screenplays, and there’s a good chance he’ll get another nod. If the award were for writing a script filled with surprising, unconventional narrative elements, Anderson would definitely deserve it. But taken as a whole, the story he wrote does not live up to its potential.

-Kristin
9.28.2018