Isle of Dogs is exactly what you would expect from Wes Anderson at this point: childhood whimsy and fun mixed with some darker themes and moments. The film is another one of his stop-motion movies, after the excellent Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009.The good news is that this film is just, if not more, visually striking. Wes' level of detail, in everything from the backgrounds the fur of the protagonists, is amazing. The dialogue, characters and story are top-noch as ever...even if they're a tad predictable by this point.The star-studded cast (including Bryan Cranston, Scarlett, Johansson, Ed Norton, Jeff Golblum, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, etc.) does a fantastic job, as do the lesser-known actors The soundtrack is fantastic, nearly all of it consists of Taiko percussion. However, this also leads into a criticism that may be minor or major, depending on how woke you consider yourself to be.I'll get right to the point: the film is guilty of using Japanese stereotypes. Atari saves the day with the power of a haiku. Kobayashi changes his mind over the fact that "he has no honor". It's not exactly nuanced, nor is it justifiable. However it doesn't come across as malicious or even intentional either. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it is worth mentioning.Other than that, the only other 'real' criticism is the movie isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as Fantastic Mr. Fox. But that doesn't bother me. Besides, it's less funny because there are less jokes, not because the jokes aren't funny.On the whole, Isle of Dogs is a fantastic, if slightly insensitive, movie that anyone who loves great independent films should watch.

Great film, loved it. If you liked Fantastic Mr Fox and other stop animation then you'll love this too. Simple story well done.

Another dry-witted & beautifully rendered feature from the director of Moonrise Kingdom & The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs isn't as instantly appealing as it looks but it rewards our patience & investment with a charming story that gets better as plot progresses.Set in dystopian near-future Japan where an outbreak of canine flu results in all dogs being relocated to a quarantined island, the story follows a young boy who travels to the island in search of his beloved pet and finds allies in five other dogs who assist him on his mission .Written & directed by Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs employs stop-motion animation to bring its dystopian setting to life and the level of details & vivid colour palette really stand out. But the picture is also marred with problems that are Anderson's own creations, as evident in the film's racial stereotyping & white saviour trope.There isn't much to complain on the technical front as Anderson makes sure every aspect is fine-tuned but he doesn't offer enough about the characters to make us invest in their journey and only expects us to get on board with it just because it is about the bond between a boy & his pet, thus affecting the emotional vibe.Featuring a star-studded cast of Hollywood A-listers, all of whom play supporting roles and are simply forgettable, the film is led by Bryan Cranston & Koyu Rankin and the bond that develops between them during their journey together. There is nothing to talk about Japanese culture here as Anderson uses Japan as his canvas & nothing more.On an overall scale, Isle of Dogs is enjoyable, entertaining & satisfying to a degree but there is nothing memorable about it. The images are beautifully rendered, the stop-motion animation is impressive, and the painstaking craftsmanship behind it is admirable. But thanks to Anderson taking shortcuts every now n then, the final product in the end leaves a lot to be desired.

So magical and loving,wonderfull story with great animations