TRASH ISLAND — “Isle of Dogs” is the most recent film by writer and director Wes Anderson.

For anyone familiar with Anderson's movies, you may find yourself in one of two categories: Either you like his brand of filmmaking or you don’t. I personally am drawn completely to his style of storytelling, if not always to the particular story he is telling.

“Isle of Dogs” is a stop-motion animated film that takes place in a dystopian Japan of the near future. The premise is that all dogs are banned to a remote island by a corrupt government official with an ulterior motive.

The story unfolds as a young boy named Atari Kobayashi sets out on a mission to find and rescue his beloved pet. Atari is helped by a small pack of dogs who are compelled by the unwritten rules of the human-dog bond to find his lost dog Spots.

Here are some takeaways from "Isle of Dogs:"

The good

The story has heart

At the core of this film is a story about love and loyalty from a dog's perspective. This story somehow perfectly gets at the essence of what it is to be a human in love with a dog and dog in love with a human. The blind loyalty of the dogs in this film is at once touching and hilarious.

Anderson is a master of the awkward moment and captures uncomfortable situations in a way that leaves you laughing when instinct tells you to be embarrassed. All of these moments along with great visuals and storyline leave you feeling humorously ill at ease throughout most of the film.

One unique thing about the film is that the only English spoken in this movie is by the dogs. All of the human characters except for an occasional translator and the American foreign exchange student speak Japanese.

I thought this was a great way to help non-Japanese speakers better appreciate the story from the dog's point of view. I don’t speak Japanese but can pick out a few words here and there as I listen to it, which is how I imagine a dog's life is in general trying to understand human language.

The important thing is you don’t need to understand the language to understand the message. I feel Anderson’s approach in this case was genius.

The cast is excellent

“Isle of Dogs” has a great cast of animated characters and fantastic human voices to go along with them.

Anderson usually sticks to a tight group of actors in his films and a lot of the same have lent their voices to this film. Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston and Jeff Goldblum are the voices of the main group of dogs.

Almost all of the human speaking parts were cast with Japanese or Japanese speaking actors including Kunichi Nomura, Akira Takayama, Koyu Rankin and even Yoko Ono, yes, The Yoko Ono. Also included in the cast are Frances McDormand and Greta Gerwig in a strong performance as the only American character in the film.

It's a beautiful film

This isn't Anderson's first effort at big screen stop-motion animation, but it is his best effort. In 2009, Anderson made “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” which is extremely well done, but it is not quite on the level of "Isle of Dogs."

What I love about Wes Anderson's style is his attention to detail. Every set, word, color, prop and camera angle is designed as a complete composition for each scene.

With so much attention paid to every frame of film, it seems stop-motion animation is a medium perfectly suited to Anderson’s brand of storytelling. I'm a huge fan of stop-motion animation and I think Anderson left nothing on the table with this film.

The bad

It's not for everyone

As I said before, Wes Anderson films are not for everyone — myself included, sometimes. While I will say I have really enjoyed about half of his movies, there are some films that just don’t hit with me.

If you identify as an Anderson hater but a dog lover, you may find yourself in some strange emotional territory after this film.

Why am I laughing?

Have you ever heard a joke that everyone else except for you got, so you just laughed anyway to fit in? Me neither, I feel bad for those people.

Actually, I am that person probably more than I am fully prepared to admit.

This uncomfortable truth about myself came to me halfway through the film. At some point in the movie, it was as if time had stopped, and I could see myself laughing in this theater filled with people all laughing at something that made absolutely no sense to me.

It was at this moment I had to ask myself “Do I really get the joke?” The answer was "probably not," but I didn't let that ruin a good time.

Conclusion

What this film comes down to is an artist using the right medium in the best way possible to get a message across.

This film is touching and absurd but manages to strike the best chord possible between the two, leaving us with a little better understanding of ourselves and greater appreciation for our dogs.

Keep an eye on KSL.com later today for John Clyde's parent's content guide that will help you decide if "Isle of Dogs" is appropriate for you and your family.

"Isle of Dogs" is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some violent images.

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