Funny / Isle of Dogs

This page contains unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned!

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• The disclaimer in the opening that lets the viewer know that the Japanese characters speak without subtitles, but the kicker is the last note that "all barks have been rendered in English." It also claims that the Japanese has been translated via "foreign exchange students" and "electronic devices," no doubt reassuring the audience of its authenticity.
• Spots arriving on Trash Island for the first time. His face screams "What the hell am I doing here?"
• The dog who gets his ear bitten off by Chief acting like it's no big deal.
  • Before that, Rex decides that before they start fighting, both packs should open the sack so they can see what's inside and if it's worth the trouble. The dogs agree and open it, and while Rex is describing all that's in the bag, just mentioning the gizzard is enough for Chief to declare, "Okay, it's Worth It."
    • Which then cuts IMMEDIATELY to a Big Ball of Violence. It's the sheer speed of the editing cut that makes it hilarious.
• The dogs sharing their lives before their banishment to Trash Island can be this:
  • King talks about how he used to be in dog food commercials, then mourns how he'll never get another audition... because of how he looks, rather than the trivial fact that he's banished to Trash Island.
  • Boss shares the backstory that he used to be the mascot for lifting his baseball team's spirits. Then he adds "I've lost all my spirit, I'm depressing." Normally, that would be depressing in itself. But Boss says it so matter-of-factly that you'd think he were casually saying "I lost a sock, I'm not happy."
• When Nutmeg casually warns Chief not to drink the contaminated water (because her sister-in-law's tongue turned black from drinking that water), without taking his eyes off her, he discreetly spits the water back out into the basin.
  • Nutmeg decides to show Chief one of her tricks a couple of times during the movie, describing it and telling him to imagine her doing it. He does just that and remarks, "I can picture it."
• As the dogs and Atari pass a golf course, those who can read Japanese can see the golf area reads Trash Island, implying the island was not called that after it became a dump. It is no wonder it and the amusement park failed.
• The interpreter describing Atari's supposed death as "every distant uncle's worst nightmare."
  • Earlier as a news story exposits the death of Atari's parents, it shows footage of their funeral, where they feel the need to provide a caption reading (sad funeral).
• The entire scene of scientists testing out a cure for the dog flu (seen as a blue liquid), putting it through multiple, increasingly flashy and bizarre machines. As they reach the fourth one, one of them starts quickly working with a new, orange liquid, pouring it into multiple test tubes... which they all toast with and drink like shots, post-work nomikai-style.
  • Oddly enough, it seems the laboratory also doubles as a sake bar. Later on, Tracy shows up and orders two drinks of chocolate milk (one of which she orders just to dramatically slap into the wall to get Yoko Ono's attention), and the last dose of serum is kept in the bar's fridge.
• Early on in the film, Atari finds the skeletal body of what he believes is Spots in a cage that didn't open. When he unlocks it, the dogs exclaim quietly in awe that they needed a key.
  • Shortly after, we get this exchange after Rex double takes at seeing Boss wearing the dead dog's nametag around his neck.
    Rex: Where'd you get that?!
    Boss: What? I've always had this.
    (Beat)
    I stole it off the dead skeleton.
• Oracle is a dog believed to have visions of the future, but she really just sees what's on TV and is able to understand what is happening. Still, some of the other dogs believe her to possess special powers.
  • Her tendency to be distracted by the very television that bestows her "visions of the future."
    Jupiter: Oracle, what do you think?
    Oracle: (watching a game show on TV, then looks back in confusion) ...wha?
  • Made funnier by her TV having the brand name "Visions Electronics."
• Chief sending a messenger to "meet with a bitch named Nutmeg."
• The student who goes undercover into the Kobayashi Dog Catcher Unit has a name badge that says "K. Hacker" - It's unknown if this is his real character name, or just a geek deciding to troll while on the job.
• The Running Gag Verbal Tic of the dogs sneezing before, during, or after sentences can be a mix of this and cute.
  • Another Running Gag, their tendency to vote on anything.
  • Yet another Running Gag is Duke's "you heard the rumor, right?" His seemingly endless supply of rumors extend to information the dogs were presented with mere moments prior. Lampshaded at one point when Boss questions where he gets all his intel and Duke admits to being something of a Gossipy Hen.
• "Son of a bitch!" said from a dog to another dog.
• "STOP LICKING YOUR WOUNDS!" While Duke looks around awkwardly. His tongue out.
  • Shortly before then:
    Chief: You all make me sick. (pukes to the side) I've seen cats with more balls than you dogs!
• Atari taking a moment to go down an abandoned park slide he's too short for.
  • Chief telling Atari not to go, and Atari going on anyway, bears a familiar scenario where a father is telling his son not to proceed any further.
• Rex complaining to Chief how the former and the other dogs got the short end of the stick in the incinerator, while Chief had a relatively pleasant time bonding with Atari, getting bathed and fed.
  • From that same scene, Rex is explaining how long they need to ride the trash tram before jumping off and continuing on foot... and then mentions that, since Atari can't understand anything he's saying, Rex is just going to have to drag him out of the tram when the time comes. It's practically a Breathless Non Sequitur, since his tone doesn't change in the slightest while saying it.
  • Then Chief tells Rex and the other dogs to jump. Rex constantly questioning this makes Chief's voice increasingly take a "You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!" tone.
    Chief: Jump!
    Rex: Where?
    Chief: Here!
    Rex: When?
    Chief: NOW!
    Rex: Why?
    Chief: WHAT?!
• Atari's failed attempts to get Chief to play fetch. When the latter finally submits to the game, he claims "I'm only doing this because I feel sorry for you."
• In the film's climax, Atari loses his remaining kidney and requires a transplant, and a post-Heel-Face Turned Kobayashi offers to donate one of his own. Cut to a gratuitous, half-minute-long oner of the transplant in pretty explicit detail.
  Interpreter Nelson: (when Atari becomes Mayor) Let's hope that kidney works!
  • A few of Wes Anderson's signature tropes end up running into conflict in this scene: despite the characters' Exact Words-style repetition of "left kidney," the doctors end up transplanting Kobayashi's right kidney in order to maintain his signature symmetry in the overhead shot.
• This promotional video features otherwise standard interviews of the prominent voice cast, but in a unique twist, they're animated as their respective characters and "on set." It elevates things by a lot.
  • Edward Norton's audio repeatedly clips, so Rex is animated speaking with his mouth repeatedly smacking the boom mic. Even the rustling sounds of paper are represented with a piece of paper blowing in the background.
  • Jeff Goldblum's segment has him talk about how he loves his character's name, Duke, because it reminds him of Duke Ellington. Seeing a dog murmur-singing the music with Goldblum's voice is a sight to behold.
  • Bill Murray's interview has been recorded in a car, so in a stroke of genius, they've animated Boss on a cable car to account for the sounds of wind on the feedback.
  • Tilda Swinton as Oracle explains the origins of companion-breed pugs, and ends with this line, which while heartwarming is also made hilarious due to the timing.
    "The heart of a dog is a bottomless thing." (long beat)

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