Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" didn't feature one shot of the Hungarian capital, so it was much to my further annoyance at the director's geographical ignorance that his latest animated feature, "Isle of Dogs", didn't go anywhere near E14. In fact, it's set in a fictional city of the other side of the planet!

Resulting from an age-old family feud, Mayor Kobayashi (voiced by co-writer Kunichi Nomura) of Megasaki, a cat-lover, paints dogs out to be a diseased species and banishes them all to Trash Island; an island as its name suggests. The Mayor's nephew Atari, a dog-lover, seeks his pet dog and bodyguard Spots and flies to Trash Island. The islands new natives do not trust humans and their English is incompatible with Atari's Japanese.

The Mayor angered, he sends in the troops to bring Atari back. Though with a band of newly found "man's best friend" voiced by a list of star names, Atari flees and locates Spots, but finds he has started a new life on the island as its mythical leader. Back in Megasaki, Kobayashi seeks to destroy evidence of dog serums created by dedicated scientists to bring all canines back; to much protest from a group of student activists.

Returning, Atari delivers a rousing speech to shame his uncle, releasing the serum and reviving the dormant dog-lover in the citizens of Megasaki. The end.

One word to describe "Isle of Dogs" is "nice." The animation is well-executed, though you don't feel it anything too innovative; it looks very nice, but is far from delivering anything too dramatic; a nicely put together, extensive ensemble cast creates a lot of draws, though the delivery at times can be a little flat, perhaps due to actors taking on voice acting roles. The film is not greater than the sum of its parts, with the aesthetics giving a feel of style over substance, with no real depth when you wash away the level of trash.

In an interview at Berlinale, the writing team suggested that a dog trash island was the starting point for the film; the Japanese setting coming later. The decision to set the film in Japan seems aesthetic as much as anything. References to the films of Akira Kurosawa are made throughout and acknowledged by Anderson. But it could easily have been set in France.

"Isle of Dogs", therefore, would appear a more Tarantino-style homage piece than cultural appropriation that has caused debate. The incorporation of a Japanese to the writing team gives some additional authenticity in cultural reference points, as well as a Japanese cast delivering Nihon-go, giving a Japanese audience a little something extra.

However, much like last year's "Ghost in the Shell", the intended target audience means that American voices still dominate. The student protest is driven by foreign exchange student Tracy (Greta Gerwig); and while a stylistic choice, simultaneous translators talk over much of the Japanese dialogue. The inconsistency of the direct translation of text versus none for dialogue could perhaps irk some viewers also.

Though, in general, the film feels good-natured and too light-hearted to intentionally create the controversial debate which arose - though this is perhaps an unconscious given in Hollywood in this day and age. In fact, that is perhaps where the film falls short: Perhaps aimed at a younger audience, the storyline is a little too light and breezes through with ease and little in the way of real bite.