Movie Review: “Isle of Dogs”
Sylvia: I just saw the movie, “Isle of Dogs.” The movie is about a colony of dogs that gets exiled because they are thought to carry something called Canine Flu.
Sylvia: The dogs get transferred to a place called Trash Island where they have to fend for themselves in order to survive. Um, and there they come across other inhabitants, um, who have been on that island for longer.
Sylvia: It takes place in a fictional Japanese city called Megasaki. Um, and it’s a cool movie because it uses stop-motion animation, and it also switches between story lines of both human and canine characters.
Sylvia: The human characters speak Japanese in the movie. Um, and the canine characters speak English. So, as a- an English speaker watching it, you can only understand what the canines are saying.
Sylvia: And, so the main characters are, uh, the mayor of Megasaki district, uh, his nephew who is the main human character of the movie because he goes in search of his dog, uh, and a group of mixed-breed exiled dogs as well.
Sylvia: Uh, but anyway, I really recommend the movie. It was very different from other movies I’ve seen recently and a very sweet story as well.
Vocabulary:
colony – a group of animals or insects of the same kind that live together, “A large colony of ants built their home under the old tree.”
exiled – sent away from your home or country as a punishment or for safety reasons, and not allowed to return, “The king was exiled to a distant island after losing the war.”
carry – to have a illness or virus inside your body and be able to pass it to others, “Mosquitoes can carry dangerous viruses that make people sick.”
transferred – moved from one place, person, or group to another, “He was transferred to a new school when his family moved to another city.”
fend for themselves – to take care of oneself without any help from other people, “When their parents went out for the night, the teenagers had to fend for themselves for dinner.”
survive – to stay alive or continue to exist, especially during or after a dangerous situation, “Plants need water and sunlight to survive in the hot desert.”
come across – to meet or find someone or something by chance, “While walking in the forest, we managed to come across a beautiful hidden waterfall.”
inhabitants – the people or animals that live in a particular place, “The local inhabitants of the island were very friendly to the tourists.”
takes place – happens or occurs in a specific location or time, “The story of Romeo and Juliet takes place in the city of Verona, Italy.”
fictional – imaginary or invented by an author; not real, “Harry Potter goes to a fictional school for young wizards.”
stop-motion animation – a filming technique where objects or puppets are moved in tiny steps between separate photographs so they look like they are moving when played back, “The movie used stop-motion animation to bring the clay figures to life.”
switches between – changes back and forth from one thing to another, “The television channel switches between cartoons and commercials every ten minutes.”
canine – relating to dogs, or a dog itself, “The police department uses canine officers to help find lost objects.”
mixed-breed – an animal whose parents are of different breeds or types, “Our family dog is a mixed-breed, part golden retriever and part poodle.”
recommend – to advise someone to do something or suggest that something is good, “I highly recommend that you read this book before seeing the movie.”
sweet story – a lovely, heartwarming, and pleasant story, “The book about a boy and his loyal puppy is a very sweet story.”