Isle of Dogs was Wes Anderson’s second stop-motion animated feature. Fantastic Mr. Fox was director Wes Anderson’s first attempt to enter the world of animation, telling Roald Dahl’s story of a patriarchal fox and his family battling a group of farmers. That film earned multiple Academy Award nominations. After that, Anderson directed Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest H๏τel, earning him even more critical acclaim. With Isle of Dogs, Anderson returned to stop-motion animation with an original story based on his own script.

Isle of Dogs tells the story of a fictional Japanese city called Megasaki where Mayor Kenji Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) had banished all dogs to Trash Island due to a canine influenza pandemic. However, the mayor’s nephew, Atari (Koyu Rankin), goes to Trash Island to find his missing dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). When he arrives, a group of dogs led by the stray Chief (Bryan Cranston) help him on his way. Isle of Dogs earned two Oscar nominations and four Annie Awards and is now streaming online.

What Isle Of Dogs Is About?

A Boy Searches For His Missing Dog

Isle of Dogs tells the story of a pack of dogs expelled to Trash Island by the mayor of Megasaski after a canine flu pandemic breaks out in Japan. The mayor’s nephew, Atari, manages to steal a plane and flies to the island in search of his dog, Spots. Soon after arriving at the deserted trash dump, Atari joins a pack of dogs and embarks on a quest not only to discover Spots’ whereabouts but also to reveal the true motivation behind the mayor’s banishment of canines.

Nine years pᴀssed between Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs and the animated world rendered in Wes Anderson’s latest stop-animated feature clearly has progressed with more detail and higher production values. Isle of Dogs takes place in the fictional Japanese city of Megasaki, and its human and canine inhabitants are depicted using an incredible 1,000 handmade puppets. Unlike the foxes and other animals in Fantastic Mr. Fox, the dogs in this film are animated to move and behave like canines, not humans.

While much of the film takes place on Trash Island, where the dogs are exiled, the urban Japanese scenery is heavily inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime film High and Low. Isle of Dogs is not short of star power. Bryan Cranston voices the role of Chief, one of the first dogs Atari encounters after landing on Trash Island. Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Murray also lend their talents to bring to life the other dogs playing integral roles in the story.

Where to Watch Isle of Dogs

Isle Of Dogs Is Streaming On Hulu

Isle of Dogs originally landed on DIsney+ when it first hit streaming services. However, that has changed in 2025, as Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated film is now available to stream on Hulu. For anyone who is not a subscriber to Hulu, the service only runs $9.99 a month, but new subscribers can get the first 30 days for free. Hulu also offers various offers, and a person can get up to six months for a hugely discounted rate. Hulu is also available in a package deal with Disney+.

Where To Rent/Buy Isle Of Dogs

Isle Of Dogs Is Available At Most Online Retailers

For anyone who isn’t interested in subscribing to Hulu or Disney+ bundles, there are also places to buy or rent Isle of Dogs. For people who still rent movies, the Wes Anderson-directed feature is available on most online platforms, including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango At Home (formerly Vudu), and the Microsoft Store. The good news is that it is the same cost no matter where a person rents their movies from, as it runs $3.99 at every rental destination.

For people who buy their movies, it is available to purchase digitally at the same locations that rent it out. This means people wanting to buy a digital copy can get it from Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango At Home (formerly Vudu), and the Microsoft Store. It is the same price no matter where it is purchased from, costing $14.99. For people who prefer physical media, Amazon has Isle of Dogs for sale on DVD for $11.87, Blu-ray for $13.52, and a combo package for $20.68. It is not available in 4K in physical media format.