"Isle of Dogs" & "The Cat Returns" DOUBLE FEATURE

'SUP, NERDS?!

I would be honestly less mad if they did
a remake of Best in Show starring Arnett.
Best in Show IS A MUST WATCH!

Long time no movie blog. Recently I watched Isle of Dogs and The Cat Returns in the theatre and a thought occurred to me: Pet movies suck, but neither of these do! So today we're delving into what makes both of these films stand above other animal movies.

I love animals, but not pet movies

As a child I watched plenty of animal movies... but none of them grew up with me except for anything Disney. Maybe if we consider fine specimens like Jaws or The Birds, I don't see much of an appeal for most animal movies above the age of 10.

It hurts to see actors I love such like Will Arnett performing in the upcoming children's movie, Show Dogs. From the trailers I've seen, it doesn't look too great. It is such a shame when awesome talent isn't used to fuel entertainment that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. He is most likely stuck in some sort of dumb Hollywood contract, but I honestly don't mean to disrespect any actors since crappy movies do pay the bills.

I would consider The Secret Life of Pets a good pet movie. It really impressed me despite being a Toy Story rip-off. All the animals had such colorful personalities that went beyond emulating stereotypes and there were realistic dynamics between the characters.

I can't believe how invested I was during The Secret Life of Pets...
and admittedly Minions too, but that's a story for another day.

Relatable human drama and conflict in animal movies distinguishes the good from the abysmal. The ridiculous storylines and characters as seen in Cats & Dogs (which I consider an incredibly bad movie) are nowhere close to mirroring the real relationships between humans and animals. When a movie is made to solely be a spectacle for children because LOOK! Animals!!, all soul is lost.

Isle of Dogs

Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs is certainly a treat. As most of you should know by now, I'm obsessed with animation and Anderson delivers a unique story told via stop-motion and scruffy pups. Isle of Dogs takes place in the not-so-distant future Japan where all dogs are sent to Trash Island due to a rise in threatening illnesses they carry.

Dogs are already precious to begin with... but the figures
in stop-motion was doggo eye candy every second of the film.

The film focuses on two major conflicts: the dogs helping Atari, a young boy who searches for his own pup, and the political tension of Megasaki City. I honestly found the politics much more interesting considering the primary antagonist, the mayor, is also Atari's uncle who sways favor into exiling the dogs rather than invest resources into curing them. There are layers of deception that later prevent a known cure to reach the public. A band of pro-dog high schoolers work to unearth the political corruption in Megasaki City, led by an American exchange student.

The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns sits in my top 5 favorite Studio Ghibli movies, so it was a thrill for me to see it on the big screen. The story revolves around a high school girl named Haru who saves a cat's life. Unbeknownst to her, the cat is actually a prince... of the Cat Kingdom!

As a thanks for saving his son, the king of the Cat Kingdom offers Prince Lune's hand to Haru and she is swept into their world with her chubby escort, Muta, followed by a living cat-statue, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. Haru slowly transforms into a cat while she is inaugurated into this strange world. Of course she returns to the human world by the end of the film, but Haru's personal growth and the Baron's charm take center stage above all other characters and themes.

Human Appeal

Aside from connecting with the political events that take place in Megasaki City, there is human appeal in the dog world. In most animal movies, there is a strong sense of love and companionship between the pet and the owner, but it's usually forced and feels artificial for the sake of making the themes and story apparent to children. 

Isle of Dogs displays the love between man and dog in Atari's quest to find his furry companion, Spots. The gradual role reversal between Chief (a stray) and Spots is the greatest demonstration of character growth in Isle of Dogs. Chief's slow progression into liking and defending the boy melted my heart while unveiling the mystery of Spots. Spots deciding to become a stray and fend for other dogs was bittersweet. He denounces his role as a guardian to his master and hands over the title to Chief, who never anticipated being a pet. Spot's rationale and struggle to make this decision etched his personality, making this scene incredibly powerful.

In The Cat Returns, the Cat Kingdom mimics human society. However, this story could have been told a multitude of ways without the aid of cats-- but they make this new world feel foreign as the film relies on the adventure to develop Haru. I don't want to portray the film as lazy or bad for using a cat-themed template, but I think the familiarity of cats and the wonder about what our pets do while we're not around makes the movie feel magical.

Haru saving Prince Lune.

By Haru's act to save a cat at the beginning, it establishes her kindness towards animals, however she is lost as a person. She doesn't know what she wants and feels so average that she doesn't stand out in any way. The human aspect of the film delves into Haru's growing confidence with Baron pushing her to just believe in herself. I would say that The Cat Returns is more of a coming of age movie about Haru gaining a sense of self than being about animals.

CONCLUSIONARY STATEMENTS

Alright, I'm sure I skimmed over a bazillion animal and pet movies... but to reiterate my original point: they stink (at least most of them do). But the ones that stand out are unique in the fact that they can capture the hearts of adults too. Not all animal movies are meant for children nor are they all meant for adults. The ones that can meet in the middle are honestly the best.

Are there any animal or pet movies you particularly love? Would you consider them for a certain age group or do they appeal to large number of people?

LATER, DWEEBS!

Loverly Liz