Top Cast
Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for Isle of Dogs is largely positive, with most reviewers praising Wes Anderson's intricate stop-motion animation and visually rich imagery. Several critics highlighted the film's aesthetic craftsmanship as a standout achievement, with some calling it a work of art frame by frame. The most common criticisms center on cultural appropriation, the white saviour trope involving the American exchange student character, and for some, a narrative that feels stretched or too clever at the expense of genuine bite.
11 reviews · 9 positive · 1 mixed
AI-generated summary of 11 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (11)
"If the film sometimes bites off more than it can chew, getting too clever for its own good, then perhaps you'll be forgiving – after all it's got its heart is in the right place."Read full review ↗
"Especially at a time when CGI-heavy visual effects bombard us, it's indeed heartening to experience an old-school animation film like this. It's one of the movies that should be experienced on the big screen to truly appreciate all the intricate details that have gone into creating it step-by-step. But it's also a movie that you'd want to own just to admire its beauty as every screenshot is a work of art worth hanging on your wall."Read full review ↗
"Because the invisible thread of kinship connecting a child to a dog is the same one that connects this filmmaker's vision to our perception of controlled imagery. It is, in essence, a language private and beyond reason. Clearly, for Wes Anderson, all the world's a postman, and its men and women merely dogs."Read full review ↗
"Wes Anderson packs this magnificent, complex tale with intoxicating imagery..."Read full review ↗
"One can interpret the movie to be about deportation, political scapegoating, and what have you. But in the end, it's a story about dogs loving their masters and Wes Anderson delivers a beautiful spectacle."Read full review ↗
"'Isle of Dogs' is fast paced, colourful, and an absolute delight all around. And Anderson once again demonstrates that he is among cinema's all time greats."Read full review ↗
"The animation is smooth, the characters are quite vivid and most of the dialogue are lightly comedic. The familiar voice cast helps keep the attachment going..."Read full review ↗
"Overall, despite a stretched narrative of 130 minutes, Isle of Dogs is a thought-provoking film that is worth a watch."Read full review ↗
"Director Wes Anderson's latest, despite featuring a talented voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton and others doesn't have his usual bite."Read full review ↗
"Isle of Dogs is disappointing, in the stereotypes it wields, in the history it seems not to care for, in the clever jokes it can't resist succumbing to, and ultimately in its treatment of the four-legged species it seems devoted to."Read full review ↗
"Like Anderson's 2007 film, The Darjeeling Limited, which set in India, Isle of Dogs has also been accused of cultural appropriation. Beyond the 'white saviour' trope of an American exchange student saving the day, one wonders if there's more to Anderson's decision of keeping Japanese uninterpreted. There is so much to be read in the film that Anderson's claim of it originating simply as the story of dogs in a trash island seems like a distant, unimaginable past."Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Bryan Cranston · Chief
- Koyu Rankin · Atari Kobayashi
- Bob Balaban · King
- Edward Norton · Rex
- Bill Murray · Boss
- Jeff Goldblum · Duke
- Kunichi Nomura · Mayor Kobayashi
- Fisher Stevens · Scrap
- Akira Takayama · Major Domo
- Greta Gerwig · Tracy Walker
- Ken Watanabe · Head Surgeon
- Frances McDormand · Interpreter Nelson
- Nijiro Murakami · Editor Hiroshi
- Harvey Keitel · Gondo
- Liev Schreiber · Spots
- Scarlett Johansson · Nutmeg
- Tilda Swinton · Oracle
- Akira Ito · Professor Watanabe
- F. Murray Abraham · Jupiter
- Courtney B. Vance · the narrator
Director
Screenplay
Music
Narrated
Details
- Release Date
- 3 November 2018
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Language
- English
User Ratings & Reviews
1 rating from the community
















