Even if you’re not a fan of directorWes Andersonand his quirky works of comedic drama, you’re surely a fan of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, one of, if not, the best animated movie of the past decade. Well, it’s time to get excited, because the man is back with yet anotherstop-motionwork that is sure to surprise and delight audiences for generations to come.
Today, Wes Anderson marks the one year anniversary of the announcement that he is making another stop-motion animated movie with a first look, cast reveal and title announcement forIsle of Dogs. Here, we get a fun video with the director and cast member Edward Norton, the teaser poster and some coolconcept art.
The movie revolves around dogs and is set in Japan. Wes Anderson recently set up shop in London, where he has been working onIsle of Dogsin pre-production. He allows us to see a tease of one of the main dogs. But not before scrolling through acast listthat will be very familiar to Wes Anderson fans, while revealing some interesting new collaborations, especially from the world of Japanese cinema.
No story details have been divulged at this current point in time. But we do hear word that Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Liev Schreiber, Kunichi Nomura, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Koyu Rankin, Yoko Ono, and Courtney B. Vance all have roles in movie. Then there is Edward Norton, who Wes seemingly forgets is in the other room. Oh, but he clearly makes his presence known before this video is over.
It’s unclear if much of the stop-motion animation has been completed at this time, so a trueteaser traileris a ways off into the future. Especially considered how time consuming and meticulous the stop-motion process can be. We do get a brief look at Rex, the character being played by Edward Norton. This first look video was made in conjunction with a charity that will support the Martin Scorsese Film Foundation, which was set up to preserve films from around the globe.
The video announcement comes courtesy ofCrowdRise.com, who are holding a charity raffle. One lucky winner will win a trip for 2 to London for two nights to…Meet Wes, get a tour of the Isle of Dogs sets and production to see how the film is being made, record the ‘voice’ of a dog in the film, directed by Wes (barking, howling & whimpering may be required), and receive one of the puppet miniatures of a dog from the film, after production has wrapped. 50 Luck winners will receive a Criterion collection DVD signed by Wes. And 25 Lucky Winners will receive a signed DVD and signed copy of “The Wes Anderson Collection” book. Every $10 is an entry to win. Here is more about the cause.
“Proceeds from Wes’s raffle will go to the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Martin Scorsese dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore nearly 700 films, which are made accessible to the public through programming at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 25 films from 19 different countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people - over 10 million to date - about film language and history."[/quote}
Isle of Dogs doesn’t have a set release date. But you’re able to get a sneak peek with the video here. Along with the teaser poster. And be sure too check out Rex in this fun video feature director Wes Anderson and his over-eager leading man Edward Norton, who may be taking his role as loyal dog Rex a little too seriously.
