50 Essential Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

King of kitsch and twee, Wes Anderson is not who most of us think of in terms of science fiction, or genre filmmaking more broadly, but Isle of Dogs proves that he’s got the goods when he puts his mind to it.

Anderson’s second animated feature, very much in the vein of Fantastic Mr. Fox, tees up an original story set in 2038, in the fictional Japanese city of Megasaki. Responding to a canine flu epidemic, Mayor Kenji Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) banishes all dogs to the aptly named Trash Island, and his grief-stricken nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) sets out to find his dog Spots, crash-landing on the island and enlisting the help of a gang of talking mutts.

As we expect from stop motion animation, every single detail is meticulously considered, and as we expect from Anderson, every frame is alive with clever design elements, framing, and camera techniques that expand on his and DP Tristan Oliver’s work on Mr. Fox. The tech is retrofuturistic (futuristic but old-fashioned), fitting Anderson's familiar aesthetic perfectly, and the soundtrack steps away from his usual quirky gramophone tunes, using Alexandre Desplat to conjure up an aural meeting of East and West that matches the film’s visual vibe. And, of course, there is the usual long list of talent providing their voices and comedic timing, including Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, and Jeff Goldblum.