Came for the Dogs, Stayed for the Animation
The dog flu is an epidemic that is causing an influx of disruptive dogs in the futuristic city of Megasaki, Japan. Mayor Kobayashi puts forth an order to banish all dogs to Trash Island, a body of land for the sole use of being a trash dump. As a sign of good faith, the first one to be sent over is Spots, who belongs to his nephew, Atari. Six months later, Atari sets off to find his banished dog.
Wes Anderson’s newest film is simply charming. You don’t see many, if few, stop-motion animated films in theaters in this day and age. The combination of puppetry and 2D animation, within a post apocalyptic Japan is a wonderful grouping. The puppets were animated well. 2D animations were cleverly used as any monitor feed. I could easily enjoy the movie in either art style.
The story is fairly straightforward. We follow a boy who is looking for his dog, while others strive to overturn the exodus of man’s best friend. It’s great to see Anderson capitalize on the character being a 16 year old boy. Although the time is ticking to finding his dog, he has time to enjoy a dangerous slide from a rundown amusement park. Meanwhile, the rebels in this dog equal rights case, try to reverse the cat loving mayor’s orders. The premise of the exodus is a little comical, but the movie is a comedy.
The movie is funny throughout. Before seeing it, I didn’t expect it to be a comedy, but to my surprise, it was filled to the brim with jokes and satire. Whether it’s little character quips, a dog with “foresight”, or the latest rumor, there is fun to be had.
The cast is filled with some big names. If you’ve seen any trailers of the movie, you could probably recall a screen that pops up, packed with big names like Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, and Scarlett Johansson. If Wes Anderson’s name on an animated movie didn’t draw people in, names like these actors probably would. Forgetting who was in the movie before watching, I could only really recognize Cranston, Johansson, Murray, and a rumor loving Jeff Goldblum. Although having a cast like this is nice, I don’t think it is totally needed, given that it’s an animated movie.
A problem with this movie is its portrayal of culture. Although it is set in a stylish post-apocalyptic fictional city of Japan, representation of its citizens are a bit outdated. The fact that we don’t get subtitles outside of on screen translators, detaches us from the characters. With this, wild gestures and spastic dialogue comes off as jokes for those who don’t understand the language. Other than being a backdrop for the story, there is almost no reason for it to be set in Japan.
White Hollywood is an ongoing issue and this movie only adds to the conversation. Other than the actual Japanese actual native speakers, I believe everyone else was a notable actor/actress were white. Although you can argue that most of the stars in the film were dogs and that their perceived race isn’t relevant, being placed in a version of Japan, it is still an issue of inclusion.
This was a fun movie in and out. Aside from a nagging issue that plagues hollywood, this stylish animated film should be seen by all. Movies like this don’t come out often, so you should see it while you can.