Anderson is clearly a dog lover himself and his film is bound to appeal to anyone who shares his passion. All in all, the film is quite a treat.
Marooning a pack of dogs on a dystopian Japanese island, the auteur’s new animation is an inspiringly detailed and surprisingly rough-edged treat.
Visually ravishing stop motion animation with perhaps too much imagination.
Anderson’s signature whimsy isn’t for everyone, but his evolving ability to temper delight with dread and vice-versa is superlative here, ensuring the wordplay of the title can’t help but ring true.
Confined to a single viewing, it's impossible to drink in the sheer wealth of detail in a film staged with mindboggling flair and precision, whose lust for life enriches every frame.
If you’re playing Wes Anderson bingo, you can tick off ‘droll whimsy’, ‘visual pizzazz’ and ‘Bill Murray’. Yet, thanks to the Far East setting and a rollicking story, this is a fun and fresh-feeling experience.
Visually stunning, emotionally arresting, dog-gone brilliant.
Isle of Dogs is another utterly distinctive, formally brilliant exercise in savant innocence from Anderson, somewhere between arch naivety and inspired sophistication. I laughed a lot, not really at jokes, but at its hyper-intelligent stabs of visual invention.
Anderson’s signature whimsy is present and correct, but the strange way he’s able to temper delight with dread and vice versa is superlative, ensuring the wordplay of the title can’t help but ring true.
With none of the archness of his Fantastic Mr Fox, Wes Anderson’s gorgeous new stop-motion tale is a funny, touching, doggy delight.
Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs: loving homage to Japan or cultural appropriation?
Why do dogs die in Wes Anderson movies?
Designing Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs.
General release. Check local listings for show times.