Last night, Wes Anderson released a lovely little teaser trailer for his upcoming return to stop-motion animation, Isle Of Dogs, almost single-handedly justifying the odious “teaser trailer” concept in the process. Now, the full-length trailer has arrived, and it suggests this old director has learned some new tricks.
Much like Fantastic Mr. Fox, which demonstrated that the world of stop-motion filmmaking was a perfect vehicle for Anderson’s diorama-frame aesthetic (while also adding a joyful exuberance rarely seen in his work), Isle Of Dogs allows Anderson to dabble in kinetic energy unattainable in the real world. Oh, also it lets him have talking dogs. The plot follows a decision by Japan to handle an epidemic of dog flu by quarantining the nation’s canine population on a place called Trash Island. Unfortunately for one young man, that move includes his pet, Spots, so the enterprising guy lights out for the Island with the intent of recovering his beloved furry friend.
The film is stocked with Anderson’s returning stable of players like Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Jeff Goldblum, and more, while introducing new actors like Bryan Cranston to the director’s universe. Visually, it’s even more striking than Mr. Fox, a lush and fully realized alternate-reality Japan—not to mention the island itself, which seems to offer a giant playground for Anderson to experiment with some new moves. Finally, a chance to use the phrase “This place has gone to the dogs” literally. Isle Of Dogs comes out March 23, 2018.