ISLE OF DOGS

US, 2018, 101 minutes, Colour.
Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney B.Vance, Konichi Nomura, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, Frances Mc Dormand, Fisher Stevens, Harvey Keitel, Ken Watanabe, Yoko Ono.
Directed by Wes Anderson.

An animated allegory written and directed by Wes Anderson, whose 20 year career has provided an enormous range of genre films, serious undertones, humorous overtones, all kinds of comedy and parody. He also ventured into animation with The Fantastic Mr Fox. Audiences will have their different favourite Wes Anderson films This reviewer remembering happily the Royal Tennenbaums and, especially, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The animation in this film looks a bit rough and ready, all to the film’s advantage. There is no smooth drawing for characters most of whom are dogs. The movements of the characters are not smooth either, but humorously jerky and angular. There is a great deal of attention given to the backgrounds, especially the wastelands of the actual island where the dogs are exiled. This is not a pretty-pretty location film. Which means that just visually, there is a great deal of edge.

And the voice cast! It is led by Bryan Cranston and Koyu Rankin. Many of the cast have appeared in other Wes Anderson films and are welcome back, some having much more to say than others – and, some silent!

The film has a Japanese setting – which some would-be purists object to, Americans capitalising on Japanese characters and themes. But, this seems to be too much objection. One of the writers, who voices the Mayor in the film, is Japanese. And the central character, a young lad of 12, is reminiscent of and probably a tribute to the many animated films from Studio Ghibli and other studios.

The dialogue is certainly worth listening to, full of humour, full of spoof, full of parody – but, with quite an underlying seriousness.

The film goes back into earlier centuries with history of the status of dogs in Japanese households. It leads to a revolution where the population turn against their dogs, preferring cats, and the powers that be of a leading family decree the exiling of all dogs to an island off the coast. The population seeming to agree complacently and all the dogs are rather brutally rounded up and even brutally deposited on the island where they have to survive, make do, scrounge, break friendships, fight amongst each other.

The life of the dogs on the island is often very amusing, often very challenging. The key event is the arrival of the adopted son of the Mayor taking a plane and crash landing on the island to find his pet dog. So, the film becomes something of a quest, the outlaw dog, voiced by Bryan Cranston, becoming a friend and an ally. There is also a show dog, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who has an interesting history and contributes to the quest.

Most of the reviewers spent their time talking about the animation, the cast, the humour, Wes Anderson’s perspective. But, when one comes to think about it, the film serves as a contemporary social allegory, getting rid of the dogs seems to be an allegory of any ethnic cleansing. Those who are ethnically cleansed have to move into exile as do the dogs on their island. The critique is also of the wealthy, their corrupt use of wealth and power, manipulation of the public.

This means that Isle of one works on two levels, that of popular entertainment – but, very seriously, an allegory of contemporary social injustices.

1. The title, expectations? Wes Anderson and his imagination? Animation?

2. The production values, the creation of Japan, the city, the past and the future? The island? The media, laboratories, homes, press conferences…? The island itself, the rubbish, the cages, Harriet? Heartland, the mountains, the factories and the works?

3. The Japanese atmosphere, Japanese lettering, the voices and accents, the translations? A Japanese story? The musical score and arrange for the different moods?

4. The humour, language, puns, the deadpan remarks of the dogs, emotions? The dogs paralleling human talk and behaviour? The human behaviour itself, the family, to any and oppression, corruption? The dogs and their intimations, comments, emotions? The jokes about translators?

5. The range of the cast and its range of voices?

6. The animation, movement, jerky and angular, for the dogs themselves, the action? The effect?

7. The shapes, the forms, humans, the range of dogs, colour?

8. The musical score, the different moods, the range of the music?

9. The structure calling the prologue, back in history, the history of the boy? The two radical family? Treatment of the dogs, the putting down of the dogs? The dogs and history, the visuals of the crowds of dogs on the range? The captions, the information, times, indication of flashbacks? The several chapters? The narrator and his tone?

10. Copied are she, 20 years into the future, the background of his family? His being the mayor, against the dogs, the rally and the human support? The humans neglecting their pets not defending them? The contrast with the scientist, his research, his speaking at the meaning, meeting, his plea, his being pelted with rubbish? Laboratory, his working on the serum, it almost working? Collaboration with his sister? His being killed?

11. The dogs being rounded up, the cages, with the garbage, dropped onto the island? Scavenging? The narration about change in the dogs, the groups, the fights, gangs and confrontations? Sport and his being locked in the cage and his bones? The rancid drop, the two groups, the pave, then the fight? The different regions, mysterious characters, in significance of rumours?

12. Duke, king, boss, again, the leadership, the votes, subservience? The encounter with Chief? The stray, rough?

13. The little pilot, his landing? Their collaboration? Yet the rule of Chief contrasting with the gang? Is defiance?

14. The little pilot, age 12, flying the plane, crashing? The built in his neck, removing it? The dogs watching in amazement? The flashbacks, the train crash, the pilot and his parents killed, is becoming the award of the media, given spot,’s Spot on his communications, his secret tooth? His upset about the dogs, motivation to take on the plane? The media treatment? Tracy and her crush on him?

15. The search for Spot? With the mistake about Sport? The rule helping, admiring the little pilot, action, at Tara and Chief, together? At Tara washing Chief, changing colour, the issue about fetching, Chief and his new image? The other group, in the carriage, going to the factory, washing and the different colours?

16. The story of cabinet meeting, the dogs attraction to her, her being groomed to be a performer, star? Not wanting to be pregnant? Her gradual change, falling in love? Her litter?

17. Tracy and the scientist sister, confronting her, the research, involved in protests, confronting the man?

18. The mayor, challenged in public, his confession, going to prison prison, the various thugs – especially the tall sinister majordomo?

19. Atari, the return, change of the law, its coming back into families? Tracy and her crush?

20. The film as a parable, allegory of racism, ethnic cleansing, Fascism? Excise, no defence? Authorities, power, corruption? Rescuing those in trouble, values and rights?