Isle of Dogs: The Screenplay

by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola (Introduction), Jason Schwartzman (Introduction)

The new stop-motion film from Wes Anderson. out on March 23rd, 2018 in the USA.

Features voices of Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swindon and more!

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his dog.
Wes Anderson startled audiences with his stop-motion animated film of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox .

He now displays his unique wit and playful visual sense in an action-filled saga of Samurai dogs.

Features an introduction which is a conversation with Anderson and the 3 other writers of the Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola and Kunichi Nomura AND 20 pages of drawings, providing an insight into the unique visual world of Wes Anderson.

Genres: Plays, Media Tie In, Film, Fantasy

160 pages, Hardcover

Published March 23, 2018

About the author

Wesley Wales Anderson is an American director, writer, and producer of features, short films and commercials. He was nominated for a 2001 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums.

Reviews

[notgettingenough]

I wonder if there are subtitles in the book for the Japanese in it?

Mystery partly solved in the movie, apparently Anderson loves watching Japanese movies without the subtitles on. And he thought we might too!!!???????????????

I read a review of the movie in Japan Times, Mutt Ado About Nothing (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/...) which comments

Anderson stumbles when he introduces an exchange student called Tracy (Greta Gerwig), who sets out to expose Megasaki’s anti-dog conspiracy, and whose strident activism makes those around her seem all passive in comparison. But I suspect viewers in Japan won’t see her as the prototypical “white savior.” They’ll realize that she’s just a bit of a blowhard.

Well, I think it's obvious that this isn't the case, the notion she's a prototypical 'white saviour'. She's a prototypical American female. In cartoons, think Schultz's Lucy. Both characters make those around them look passive, that's the point. It's nothing to do with colour.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve watched this film like 3 times and it always moves me to tears! This was a gift from my dad and reading the screenplay was somehow more powerful than the times that I’ve seen it. A must-read for fans of the movie!

[Scott Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, this film is my favorite movie of 2018 as it is indeed the most original work that I have seen. Wes Anderson's animated fantasia set in a fantasy Japan and starring a pack of exiled dogs is a joyously unfiltered experience with its boundless imagination and pristine execution. It is a film so beautifully rich that I just had to read the screenplay, and even on the page, it is as if we are gathering a front row seat into Anderson's dreams which are all grounded with his superior, meticulous approach to detail and craft. Just excellent!!

[Joshua Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You heard the rumor, right?”

Super fun and quick read if you’ve the time.

[Esther]

Highlight:

To be alive is an incredible struggle. At some time, everyone has collapsed under the sheer weight of loneliness. Perhaps we can empathize with each other and treat each other a little kinder.
If we understand this..

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isle of Dogs, written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Kunichi Nomura


You may find that this motion picture has all the needed ingredients for a magnificent work – outré humor, a phenomenal director, a collective of remarkable writers and a phenomenal cast:

Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Murray Abraham ( winner of the Academy Award, as so many of the aforementioned, for his terrific rendering of Salieri, in Amadeus by Milos Forman) and a few other excellent artists.
One would wonder why is Yoko Ono present in this list of Joy, but this is where the undersigned needs to state that she is just one element that detracts from the pleasure of hearing all the other titans and there are others.

The themes are worthwhile, from animal rights and the abuse that dogs and others suffer at the hands of humans, to environment protection and the fouling that the same people cause, to the dangers posed by robots, drones, artificial intelligence in general and vicious politicians.
But to come to the conclusion early on, this viewer did not enjoy the feature, with the exception of the humor and the joy provided by the voices of the list of cinema Gods and Goddesses that is so long and outstanding.

The outbreak of a disease is another one of the subjects of mediation that this motion picture brings to the fore and this is so creditable, for we have concerns in the present, from the periodic outbreaks of Ebola to the danger that one bird flu or pig disease might transmute and become an epidemic among human beings…
After all, the 1918 Spanish Influenza has killed more people than World War I, there is the danger that the next one could be ever more deadly, seeing as travel is so easy and widespread.

All dogs are sent to Trash Island, where the poor animals have to search hard to find a scrap of food, they are more than slim, affected by sneezing, high temperatures, red eyes, bad temper which can become villainous, ferocious and other symptoms of disease and most of all hunger.
In one tragic – comic scene, a package is dropped on the island, something like a big bag that is opaque and makes the packs of dogs gathered to see any new arrival on their territory guess on the contents.

They open the trash and inside they see the remains of some fish can, a few traces of other vague remains of food, after they had spoken about the merits of fighting, having decided that they need to know what is inside, before the two groups fight.
Once they see the disgusting, desolate content, they say…ok, it is worth fighting for, which is both amusing and sad, given how low they have to descend to get some worms in their bellies.

“How can you bring puppies in this world” – this what Nutmeg, the female dog whose voice belongs to Scarlett Johansson, when talking to Chief aka Bryan Cranston abbot their ordeal on this island.

In the middle of this depressing, heartbreaking scenery, an airplane crash lands, bringing in the middle of the dogs a…dog owner who tries to find, save and bring back his former pet, Spots.
The latter has to face a pack of rather aggressive four legged creatures, led by Gondo aka Harvey Keitel, who talks about the rumors that they are cannibal dogs, fist denying it, then explaining that it has only happened once.

They used to have an alpha male, the leader of their pack that was sick, he was going to die, in pain, therefore, it was better for him and besides, there is next to no food on this damned Trash Island.
Somehow, the fact that this motion picture has won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was also nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear for the Best Film, proves the fact that this is an unusual, outré, off the beaten track production, although mentioning the name of Wes Anderson is enough for the audience to expect…the unexpected.

The mirth can be candid; the joys brought by the film depend on one’s liking for animation – not a favorite for this cinephile – a penchant for the absurd, Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco kind of humor.
There are some wonderful lines:
“Rex: I used to sleep on a lamb's wool beanbag next to an electric space heater. That's my territory, I'm an *indoor* dog.
King: I starred in twenty-two consecutive Doggy Chow commercials. Look at me now, I couldn't land an audition.
Boss: I was the lead mascot for an undefeated high school baseball team. I lost all my spirit, I'm depressing.
Duke: I only ask for what I've always had, a balanced diet, regular grooming, and a general physical once a year.
Chief: You're talking like a bunch of housebroken... pets.

[Adrini Chia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm not a violent dog, I don't know why I bite." - oh, same.

it’s cat propa working as dog propa Iol. this is my first time reading a screenplay, didn’t realize how descriptive they were but ofc that makes sense. the story itself was painful yet uplifting, doggos exiled to a trash island, and somehow all the feelings teleport out from Wes Anderson’s framing and dry as heck dialogue. visually it’s stop-motion detail porn — every scratch of fur, every dusty trash pile feels intentional and weirdly beautiful.

is it harsh to say that the TikTok edits hit me in the feelings harder :((( like, when i first saw clips of emotional beats and music it landed on my soul and i was like ok this is it. but then watching the movie then sitting with the actual screenplay.. main character vibes were more unlikable than relatable, and there was a relationship that felt pretty forced

was a good read, wasn’t my absolute favorite, I did skim through the descriptions sometimes, but the story itself had enough arcs to keep me like omg what — betrayal, loneliness, hope, weird fight scenes, language barriers, and dogs expressing sorrow like they were penned by a poetically sad dog whisperer.

anyways, "biscuit-o!"

[G. Shaw Doskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I love reading screenplays and Wes Anderson shows himself to be a great writer not just director.

Chief is a compelling character. I’d say the most interesting character in the book by far.

All in all 4 out of 5.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this screenplay at the NYPL and had to grab it to see how it compared to the finished product (and also to see how Wes Anderson writes his films). It didn't disappoint.

[Avedon Arcadio · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as script books go it’s great. I enjoyed the interview in the beginning as well as the additional works at the end.

[Patricia Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a fun read

[Uri Fdz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a precious edition