Short Summary is an original series in which I write brief reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, books, and more. Spoiler alert, just in case!

Wes Anderson’s very name can bring a few negative descriptors to mind: pretentious, depressing, awkward, and straight-up creepy. The same could be said of all 8 of his films, which share similar themes and characters with one another, even the same, long list of actors. So he can come across as repetitive as well. He’s the indie filmmaker to top all others, and he appeals to hipsters around the world.

Obviously, these things can be turn-offs to the normal movie-goer. Yet I think that Wes Anderson has such a specific style and a certain appeal that you can’t help but appreciate him. The meticulous and beautiful set designs, the unique direction, the tiny details, the quirky characters, the witty dialogue, and the touching stories are all his staples.

I’ve now seen 3 Wes Anderson movies in total: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs. I thought that Fantastic Mr. Fox was delightful, and The Grand Budapest Hotel was hilarious; both movies were memorable and thoughtful, too. Isle of Dogs is a sweet, funny, whimsical movie about a boy and his dog. Maybe the other two movies went deeper into their respective characters and themes, but that doesn’t make Isle of Dogs any less enjoyable.

Isle of Dogs takes place in the fictional Megasaki City, Japan, 20 years into the future. Because of a dog flu epidemic, all dogs are quarantined on Trash Island so that the disease doesn’t jump to humans. A young boy named Atari crash-lands there and joins up with a group of 5 dogs to find his lost dog, Spots. Meanwhile, back in Megasaki, there’s a larger conspiracy afoot and protests against the quarantine.

Isle of Dogs, just like Fantastic Mr. Fox, is comprised of stop motion animation, and that kind of filmmaking fits everything about Wes Anderson to a T. Stop motion is such a difficult and time-consuming form of animation that he can take every frame and make sure that it’s absolutely perfect. And boy, this really shows in Isle of Dogs. There’s not a piece of alpacca wool or a cotton ball out of place. It’s honestly beautifully done.

Besides the stop motion animation, other production choices that Wes Anderson made for Isle of Dogs are definitely interesting. The main choice that I found fascinating is the fact that there’s a lot of spoken and written Japanese throughout the film; however, both are rarely subtitled. Instead, we have a few characters, a couple of whom are actual translators and one who’s an American student, who do the translating for us. They and the dogs are the only ones that speak English. It’s sort of distracting early on in the movie, yet I got used to it because it ends up being used so effectively.

People, if even the idea of Wes Anderson scares you, I suggest finding and watching Fantastic Mr. Fox first. Then, if you like that, go see Isle of Dogs. Both movies are wonderful, and both will help you dip your toe into the pool. And trust me: it’s worth doing so!