To the "Isle of Dogs"

There's been a bit of a ruckus over Wes Anderson's latest film, which is one of those instances of a Western artist doing some dabbling in a non-Western milieu.  In this case, "Isle of Dogs" takes place in Japan, many of the major characters speak only in Japanese, and there is extensive use of Japanese imagery and culture throughout.  It's also a stop-motion animated film, Anderson's first since "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

The story is a charming one, about a group of canines exiled to an island landfill, off the fictional city of Megasaki, after an outbreak of "dog flu."  A little boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin) steals a plane a crashes there, searching for his dog Spots. A group of five dogs, including Boss (Bill Murray), King (Bob Balaban), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), Rex (Edward Norton), and the loner stray Chief (Bryan Cranston), agree to help Atari in his search.  Meanwhile, the corrupt Megasaki mayor, Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), is plotting a more permanent solution to the epidemic. Opposing him is a foreign exchange student, Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), who is determined the expose the anti-dog conspiracy.

The film's version of Japan is clearly a Western enthusiast's idea of Japan, full of exaggerated designs and obvious Japanese signifiers taiko drummers, torii gates, and sakura trees.  However, it's a very self-aware one, that clearly took pains to ensure some cultural authenticity. Witness the painstaking sushi preparation scene, beautifully animated to show the care and craft of creating each piece of food.  Viewers have pointed out dozens of fun little details that only Japanese natives would notice. The stereotyping also runs both ways. Tracy is a caricature of an American from a Japanese viewpoint, with her brash outspokenness and giant blonde Afro.  She's also a pretty good skewering of the white savior trope.

Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel" set up a fanciful version of pre-war Europe created by unreliable narrators, with its multiple framing devices.  "Isle of Dogs" does something similar with its many unreliable translators. The film draws attention to this many times, having the dogs speak English, while the humans mostly speak Japanese.  Sometimes their dialogue is translated with the help of computer or human aides, but other times we're left in dark as to what Atari and Kobayashi are actually saying. And it works as part of the narrative, letting us identify more with the dogs as they face communication barriers and other misunderstandings with the humans.

The look of the film is a treat.  The environments are beautifully constructed, from Megasaki noodle shops to abandoned theme parks, and there's a wonderful tactility and to the animation.  One detail I especially enjoyed was all the dust clouds from explosions and fights being rendered with clumps of lint and fuzz. I found the characters more visually appealing than the ones in  "Fantastic Mr. Fox," probably because none of the dogs are too anthropomorphized, and they behave like proper canines. It's also fun seeing some of the usual Anderson-isms done in animation, like the meticulous framing, long panning shots, and carefully catalogued objects.  

The cast is populated by Anderson's usual suspects, but a notable newcomer is Bryan Cranston as the lead dog, Chief.  And he's a big reason why Chief is now one of my favorite Wes Anderson characters, a gruff, standoffish stray who resists bonding with Atari.  Sure, he's a very familiar character type if you're at all familiar with Anderson's work, but he's such a lovable one who undergoes such an enjoyable transformation.  He's the heart of the film, and so well executed that I happily went along for the ride and ignored the Anderson-isms that I generally dislike. Tracy is a keeper, but the other female characters are very blah.

"Isle of Dogs"is such an oddity from start to finish, a strange combination of elements and ideas, told in a way that most filmmakers wouldn't even consider.  It makes some missteps here and there, but I'm delighted that the film exists and has found an audience. There are so many ways that this project could have gone wrong, but Anderson and his crew have delivered something wonderfully well-considered and thoughtful.  I hope to see more animated projects from him sooner rather than later.

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