This is what we’ve been waiting for.
It’s safe to say that as soon as 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox ended we all needed more Wes Anderson anthropomorphic stop-motion magic on the big screen. Sure, in the meantime we’ve enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and, most recently, a delightful Christmas short for H&M but you know what all those things aren’t? Charming stop-motion animals voiced by an ensemble cast of the industry’s best and brightest.
Now, we’ve known for about a year now that Anderson’s next project was going to a stop-motion film about dogs. This is incredibly exciting. It’s also incredibly interesting, as dogs haven’t fared well in Wes Anderson films. Cats neither, now that we think about it. (RIP Buckley, Snoopy, and Jeff Goldblum’s cat.) We haven’t had much other news but guess what, Christmas came early because we’ve now got a title and full cast list.
Anderson announced the film title and cast via a video. It’s called Isle of Dogs and stars literally everyone, from Anderson regulars to new faces – er, voices. Well, almost everyone: Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Yoko Ono, Greta Gerwig, and also don’t forget Edward Norton. But that isn’t even everyone. See for yourself:
We also get a little glimpse of footage of Edward Norton as a dog. Blink and you might miss it so pay attention. Those few seconds are way more exciting than any few seconds have any right to be, especially considering that there aren’t even any lines of dialogue.
The rest of the video promotes a Crowdwise contest where you can win a chance to visit the Isle of Dogs set and ALSO VOICE ONE OF THE DOGS. The proceeds of the contest go toward Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, a non-profit organization which protects and preserves motion picture history.
Other details about the film have yet to be released. We also learned last year that the story would be “Japanese inspired,” as stated by both Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum. The cast list seems to confirm that but we’ll have to wait longer for more plot details. Could it be about an island of dogs? Could George Clooney as Mr. Fox somehow make an appearance? So many questions!
In the meantime, we’ll be over here barely containing our excitement about Greta Gerwig making her first “appearance” in an Anderson film. The film is in production right now and as stop-motion projects go, it’s likely we won’t be seeing anything until 2018. Let the countdown begin…
Related Topics: Animation
