Wes Anderson's 'Isle Of Dogs' Follows The Filmmaker's Food Focus

Spoiler alert: This story reveals some plot points of Isle of Dogs.

From The Fantastic Mr. Fox to The Grand Budapest Hotel, a great deal of Wes Anderson's best storytelling moments have revolved around food. The acclaimed filmmaker is so detail-oriented with grub and drink in his works that restaurateurs have even modeled their eateries in homage to him. In his most recent offering (and second stop-motion picture), Isle of Dogs, the renowned writer and director focuses heavily on Japanese cuisine in the dystopian future of fictitious Megasaki City.

We first meet our cast of dogs after they're banished to run-down and barren Trash Island, which is covered with cans and rotting food. A star-studded cast of voiceover actors — including Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, and Jeff Goldblum — play man's best friends Chief, Rex, King, Boss, and Duke, but other silver nametags bear names such as Nutmeg (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), Waffles, Butterscotch, and Peppermint.

As the plot progresses, the human Atari, portrayed by 11-year-old Koyu Rankin, crash-lands his fighter jet in search of his pup, Spots (Liev Shreiber). A flashback reveals that the two first met when the 12-year-old was infirmary-bound (and in the company of better-than-your-average hospital salmon). Stranded on Trash Island, the child takes shelter in a bright, colorful cave of saké bottles — perhaps the only beautiful piece of architecture in the whole desolate, gray, and hopeless space.

While there are plenty of references to "Puppy Snap" biscuit treats and "Doggy Chop" canned food, Anderson's canine cast doubtlessly fancies human fare. In one scene, the doggos reminisce on their favorite foods: center-cut Kobe ribeye steak seared on the bone, hot sausage, green tea ice cream, and hibachi chili. One tail-wagger even offers the crowd "turpentine brandy" — apparently a delicacy on the island, with a main ingredient of paint-thinner.

"Cools the head and warms the dog bones," Jupiter, a large, mastiff-like dog says after pouring liquid from the barrel attached to his collar. (Jupiter is memorably voiced by F. Murray Abraham, also seen as Mr. Moustafa in Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel.)

One of the most aesthetically pleasing cuts of the film includes a segment in which a sushi chef prepares a bento box, furiously slicing and dicing live sea creatures. Without giving anything away, a toxic-green wasabi is viciously used as a weapon. In the aftermath, Yoko Ono, who in this fictional universe is a scientist, drowns in sake and is ultimately befriended by a foreign exchange student journalist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who walks into the bar and demands, "chocolate milk, cold." (And yes, this is really what happens in the film.)

Isle of Dogs, created by Fox Searchlight Pictures, was first seen at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in February and hit theaters in the U.S. on March 23. The PG-13 flick currently has a 92 percent rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes. While it's evident that this adventure-comedy is chock-full of food nuggets — like dog baths in Japanese beer kegs and grooming atop Ramen crates — there are plenty of other reasons to see this tour-de-force — one being that you'll want to head home and hug your own pooch. These 18 superfoods will truly make him feel like man's best friend.