By Ben Travis | Posted 11 Apr 2018

From the music, to the art style, to its depiction of Taiko drumming and sushi preparation, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs is steeped in Japanese culture — and now the film has a new poster created specially for its release in Japan on 25 May, drawn by legendary manga artist and Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo. The artist, who also directed the film version of Akira and Steamboy, has incorporated the human and canine characters of Anderson’s stop-motion animated fantasy in his design, providing a new twist on the film’s name and setting.

“When I first saw Isle of Dogs, I thought it might be difficult to make a poster that would add something to the movie,” Otomo explains. “It is filled with homage to Japanese cinema, including music directly from Kurosawa, and seemed fully realized already, with all its details in place. It was its own complete world. Then I had an idea: to paint a very traditional Japanese dog to represent the island itself, and a very traditional Japanese wooden floor as the sea. I hope my drawing will be a meaningful way to help share this film with the world.”

Anderson’s latest is his second stop-motion effort after 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. The film tells the story of Atari, a Japanese teenager who sets off to rescue his lost dog Spots when a corrupt government regime outlaws man’s best friend to 'Trash Island'. The film features Anderson’s usual roster of voices — Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Frances McDormand, and more — as well as the likes of Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton and Jeff Goldblum.

Isle of Dogs is roaming free in UK cinemas now, and you can read all about the very good boys and girls in our dog-by-dog breakdown in the May issue of Empire.

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