Midweek Mention... Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs (2018) – Trash Island, pandemics, and very good boys In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, we head to Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Japan for Isle of Dogs, a film where man’s best friend is dumped on a toxic wasteland by a fascist cat-loving dynasty, and the only person who gives a toss is a 12-year-old boy in a stolen plane. We follow Atari and his pack of exiled hounds – Chief, Rex, King, Duke and Boss – as they trek across Trash Island in search of Spots, the missing bodyguard...
Isle of Dogs (2018) – Trash Island, pandemics, and very good boys
In this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, we head to Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Japan for Isle of Dogs, a film where man’s best friend is dumped on a toxic wasteland by a fascist cat-loving dynasty, and the only person who gives a toss is a 12-year-old boy in a stolen plane. We follow Atari and his pack of exiled hounds – Chief, Rex, King, Duke and Boss – as they trek across Trash Island in search of Spots, the missing bodyguard dog who may or may not have become the stuff of cannibal legend. Along the way we get robot attack dogs, poison sushi, hacked kill-switches, and a haiku that brings a dictator to heel.
We talk about Wes Anderson’s unmistakable style even in animation: the hyper-detailed sets, deadpan framing, fight scenes rendered as swirling dust clouds, and dogs whose fur moves like living sculptures. We dig into the cast (Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson), the film’s pandemic politics, propaganda and AI war-dogs, and the criticisms about cultural appropriation versus what feels like a pretty sincere love letter to Japanese cinema and design. There’s also time for the Bad Dads to confess their real-life dog feelings (ranging from “not a pet person” to “my dog is a tiny menace”), marvel at the sheer effort behind every two-second shot, and argue that Anderson’s animated films might be the best entry point for people who bounce off his live-action work.
If you’re into:
- Stop-motion that’s so detailed it makes your eyes hurt
- Dystopian politics smuggled into a story about lost dogs
- Packs of flawed, funny, loyal mutts trying to do the right thing
…this episode is a strong recommend and a good place to jump into the pod.
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Until next time, we remain...
Bad Dads
