Isle of Dogs (film)
A stop-motion tale of dogs, loyalty, and a boy's quest.
Isle of Dogs is a 2018 stop-motion animated science fiction comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Wes Anderson. It is set in a fictional Japanese city where all dogs are banished to Trash Island due to a canine influenza pandemic, and follows a boy's quest to find his missing dog. The film is notable as Anderson's second stop-motion feature and for its ensemble voice cast.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Wes Anderson
- Producer
- Wes Anderson / Scott Rudin / Steven Rales / Jeremy Dawson
- Story
- Wes Anderson / Roman Coppola / Jason Schwartzman / Kunichi Nomura
- Narrator
- Courtney B. Vance
- Music
- Alexandre Desplat
- Cinematography
- Tristan Oliver
- Editing
- Andrew Weisblum / Ralph Foster / Edward Bursch
- Studio
- 20th Century Fox Animation / Indian Paintbrush / American Empirical Pictures / Studio Babelsberg / Scott Rudin Productions / 3 Mills Studios
- Distributor
- Fox Searchlight Pictures
- Released
- 15 February 2018 · Berlinale · 2018 · 3 · 23 · United States · 2018 · 3 · 30 · United Kingdom · 2018 · 5 · 10 · Germany
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Country
- United States / Japan / Germany / United Kingdom
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Wes Anderson announced the film in October 2015, with a voice cast including Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, and Bob Balaban. Production began in October 2016 at 3 Mills Studios in East London. The film draws inspiration from Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Rankin/Bass holiday specials, The Plague Dogs, and Disney's 101 Dalmatians. About 20,000 faces and 1,105 animatable puppets were crafted, with main character puppets taking 2–3 months to create. Very little CG was used, only for duplicating audience members or green-screen actions. Over 200 detailed hand-made settings were built.
Reader's Guide
Isle of Dogs opened the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, where Anderson won the Silver Bear for Best Director. It received critical acclaim for its animation, story, musical score, and deadpan humor, but also criticism for its portrayal of Japanese people and culture. The film grossed nearly $73 million worldwide and received two Academy Award nominations: Best Animated Feature and Best Score. It is the second animated film released by Fox Searchlight, seventeen years after Waking Life, and the only 20th Century Fox Animation film released by that label. The film's plot involves themes of loyalty, conspiracy, and reconciliation between humans and dogs.
Did You Know?
- Isle of Dogs is Wes Anderson's second stop-motion film, following Fantastic Mr. Fox.
- The film was produced by Indian Paintbrush and American Empirical Pictures, and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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