Isle of Dogs

It's hard to believe Wes Anderson has only done two animated films. The first, Fantastic Mr. Fox, came out in 2009. His latest one, Isle of Dogs, is out now. It makes for a visually appealing animated movie even if it has some issues.

In the not too distant future, the city of Megasaki, Japan, is gripped with "Dog Flu." Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura, who is also one of Anderson's three co-writers) orders all dogs quarantined and dumped onto Trash Island. One such quarantined dog is Spots, the bodyguard of the Mayor's ward and nephew, Atari (Koyu Renkin). Atari commandeers a small plane to the "Isle of Dogs" to get him back. The plane sputters out and he crashes. But he's OK.

On the Isle, a pack of dogs, led by Chief (Bryan Cranston), try to stay alive. They find Atari and agree to help him find Spots. The Mayor and his personnel try to get Atari off the Isle. Meanwhile, a pair of scientists, Professor Watanabe (Akira Ito) and Yoko Ono (the same), discover a cure for Dog Flu that Kobayashi wants to cover up. An American transfer student, Tracy (Greta Gerwig), organizes a movement to expose the truth behind Dog Flu.

The screenplay, co-written with Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, is a good one. Anderson's deadpan wit sits and stays throughout the story. Its story and stakes play best with pet owners. The ending relies on a masterful bait-and-switch maneuver. The film renders the dogs and some humans in perfect English, while the majority are in unsubtitled Japanese. It renders the language barrier between humans and dogs well, but I understand why it might rub others the wrong way.

The cast is a strong bunch. Chief is a good dog. He starts the film as a loner trying to lead a pack, but the others don't take heed. His bond with Atari and the showdog Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson) makes him lovable. His pack, Duke (Jeff Goldblum), Boss (Bill Murray), King (Bob Balaban) and Rex (Edward Norton), are a funny pack of memorable characters. Atari is a flat protagonist with an understandable goal. Meanwhile, the strict Mayor Kobayashi has a change of heart. The language barrier surely makes me wish I could converse flawlessly in Japanese.

But the artistic and aural values aren't hampered by the language barrier. The puppet characters and their settings are uniquely designed and quirky. The animation is strong; the best bits involved the characters' scuffles mostly obscured by cartoon clouds. Tristan Oliver's cinematography renders the animation in a wonderfully wide field of vision. Alexandre Desplat has composed a memorable soundtrack in traditional Japanese styles; he even throws in bits of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Drunken Angel.

Isle of Dogs has me waiting for Wes Anderson's next animated film. His style translates that flawlessly into animated form. It never loses its quirky appeal throughout its 101 minutes. Hopefully, the film will inspire people to read up on Japan as it is. It's still a winner, though maybe not the winner. I'm waiting for the rest of this year's animated films.