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Isle of Dogs

😉😉😉😉😐


      That this film caused me an almost painful compulsion to replace our 16 year old Boarder Collie (gone last year) is a testimony to some basic human characteristics which this film capitalized on superbly.
      The first is that people (most people) simply love dogs. This fact has the weight of history behind it and the science that has made this animal the most diverse on the planet.
      Another is that those dog lovers intentionally, unintentionally, or unwittingly personify their dogs, interweaving unique canine traits with human strengths and frailties.
      Wes Anderson (director), a probable army of creative geniuses, and talented (voice) actors (notably Bryan Cranston and Scarlett Johansson) used these characteristics to produce a compelling fable that combined both marvelous entertainment with thoughtful social issues (such as the power of propaganda and the devotion needed to overcome it).
      By the dog's communications being the primary viewer understanding (it is pointed out at the beginning that all dog barking has been translated into English) and most of the direct human communication being in Japanese (which the dogs - and most viewers - don't understand), Anderson craftily places the viewer among the dogs. Dog personification doesn't get any better than that.
      Add the adroit use of adorable dog mannerisms and stop-motion animation at levels that blew my mind ("how do they do that" echoed in my head throughout) there is no way a dog lover can leave that movie unsatisfied.  Or is there?
     My wife responded to my plaudits as we left the theater, "...oh sure you loved it, you love all that weird crap". Yes, if you're looking for a Disney style of animation and story telling you might be in for sensory overload. However, if you open your mind I think this film will open your heart.

4 Winks 1 Blink No Stinks

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