Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” Carries a Whiff of Imperialism

Formalist nods to the cinema of Kurosawa and Ozu blend with a rollicking sensibility bred from "The Aristocats."

By Jay Horton

It's likely that Wes Anderson intended for his latest film to equally embrace the canine kingdom and Japanese culture. But the stop-motion pooches of Isle of Dogs have a depth and presence not always granted their surrounding milieu.

Set in the retro-futurescape of Megasaki City, Anderson's second animated feature (following 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox) revolves around 12-year-old Atari's quest to rescue his pet, Spots, from quarantine atop a floating dumpsite. But our young hero soon cedes agency to the mutt squad (voiced by ur-American dream team Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Ed Norton and Jeff Goldblum) vouchsafing his quest, and a rabble-rousing U.S. exchange student (Greta Gerwig) crushing from afar.

Related: We Talked to the Portland Animator Who Helped Create Wes Anderson's New Movie

Freely incorporating elements of Japanese iconography into his own visual design—imagine Mechagodzilla as a Victorian puzzle box for the incurably twee—Anderson's delight in his own cleverness now carries along a whiff of casual imperialism. This is, after all, the sort of talking-dog comedy that casts Yoko Ono as Assistant Scientist Yoko Ono.

Any formalist nods to the cinema of Kurosawa and Ozu blend with a rollicking sensibility bred from The Aristocats or, as Cranston's Chief canoodles with Scarlett Johansson's Nutmeg, Lady & The Tramp. While Anderson's admirers may divine some underlying environmentalist resonance from a tale largely set on Trash Island, few directors have ever been as eager to poke through the abandoned detritus of societal folly.

Critic's rating: 3/4 stars

Isle of Dogs is rated PG-13 and now playing at Fox Tower and Hollywood.

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