Fox Searchlight has released the firstIsle of Dogsclip. This film marksWes Anderson’s return to the medium following his twice Oscar-nominated 2009 effortFantastic Mr. Fox, and takes place in a near-future Japan where, after an outbreak of dog attacks, all dogs have been banished to live on a garbage-filled island—the Isle of Dogs. A young boy ventures to the island in search of his own dog, coming across a pack of Alphas lead byEdward Norton‘s Rex.
The clip is pretty much what you would expect from a Wes Anderson movie completely with his perfectly composed frames and dry sense of humor. And yet while Anderson has had his fair share of imitators over the years, he’s continued to grow as a filmmaker withFantastic Mr. Fox,Moonrise Kingdom, andThe Grand Budapest Hotel. I’m eager to see his return to stop-motion, and I hope thatIsle of Dogsis as delightful as it looks, although as this clip shows, Anderson isn’t going to shy away from some brutality.
Check out theIsle of Dogsclip below [viaVulture] along with a motion poster. The film premieres at the Berlin Film Festival on February 15th before opening in theaters on March 23rd.Isle of Dogsalso starsBryan Cranston,Bill Murray,Jeff Goldblum,Scarlett Johansson,F. Murray Abraham,Tilda Swinton,Kunichi Nomura,Harvey Keitel,Akira Ito,Akira Takayama,Koyu Rankin,Yoko Ono,Courtney B. Vance,Greta Gerwig,Frances McDormand,Bob Balaban, andLiev Schrieber.
Here’s the official synopsis forIsle of Dogs:
ISLE OF DOGS tells the story of ATARI KOBAYASHI, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
