Fantastic Mr. Anderson

Hello there. I’m a Wes Anderson character. I overdress for simple occasions and generally keep my eyes facing forward (unless I’m whispering to you, or turning the attention of the viewers to you). My sentences are to the point. Directed. Sincere. Short. Unless I’m not talking directly to you, or presenting something to a mass of people.

Hmm. 

I’d say we’re experiencing the latter. 

While I have your attention, I’ll explain why this style of acting and visual artistry is interesting (and maybe why you yourself should consume more of it) by telling you 

1. Who Wes Anderson is

2. The aesthetics of his work 

and

3. The genres and philosophy that marks Anderson’s work as his own.

Perhaps by the time I have concluded (or maybe before) I will have convinced you to view film in a different light. To break away from the normal types of more popular movies and look at something fresh, something new. Something that’s both strangely comforting and slightly confusing. Something Wes Anderson.

Let’s begin. 

Wesley Wales Anderson was born on May 1st, 1969 in Houston, TX to parents Texas and Melver Anderson. What you most certainly know him for is the feeling you get from images like this. The type of structure these pictures harness is known as formalism, defined as an excessive adherence to prescribed forms. Characters that follow formalism often are characterized by generalized stiffness, dry humor, monotone faces with expressive voices, and aesthetic choices such as right angles and symmetry, all aspects seen in Wes Anderson movies. Anderson has only released 12 movies at the time of presenting (so, within 27 years), starting with a crime/comedy called Bottle Rocket (1996), the coming of age story Rushmore (1998), and early classics such as The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004). 

In 2009, Wes had his first taste of success when he directed, wrote, and produced Fantastic Mr. Fox, a story by Roald Dahl, which initially only brought in 21 million dollars against a 40 million dollar budget. Why? Well, the stop motion, and especially the more human figurines and puppets used for this movie gave sections of the film sort of a strange, uncanny valley feel for someone who wasn’t expecting it. However, the story, the wit, and the message was loved by the small audience that understood it. After this niche group was established, Wes’s work quickly gained popularity.

Some of the well known movies that have been released since Fantastic Mr. Fox include Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Asteroid City (2023). The majority of his films referenced here today will be his more popular ones, namely Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023), though Anderson’s other works will be referenced. 

Let's start on why these movies are set apart from others, and to do that, we’ll be starting at the end, at the credits. Many times, a Wes Anderson film will have a simply stacked cast. There are always characters that catch the masses attention, and in this way, Wes can catch new potential fans of his work. For example, by using up and coming actors such as Maya Hawke, Asteroid City drew in younger fans, such as the fans of Stranger Things. Likewise, fans of other actor’s past roles that may be over, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and his addicting Sherlock Holmes voice, can find that in a new setting, such as the quick thinking and quicker speaking Henry Sugar in The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar.

Wes has several actors that work with him more often and not, and when watching a Wes Anderson movie, one can find at least three actors who have previously worked with the director. This expansive list includes actors like Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. One additional actor is Wes himself, more often heard as a tennis announcer, a student in a classroom, or even an animated weasel who sells real estate.

If you have a hard time sitting through movies because you get distracted, Anderson directed movies are the movies for you. Wes Anderson shots are simple. When a character is placed in a room, they are more than likely going to be found in the center of the screen, or there will be a centered look to the scene. This way, subconsciously, if something important happens on screen, your eyes are naturally drawn to the motion. Seen on the side of this fireplace, separation is created in one room. Though the character coming through the door is looking directly at our other subject, the line the furniture creates makes them separate. The camera could easily just cut between the two actors, and yet the uncomfortable feelings that this scene contains do better in the silences and still camera hold. 

Another important tool to keep audience attention in these movies is color palettes. By adhering to a general look and color scheme for his films, Anderson keeps the focus on the story instead of the color changes. Did you know that a single screen of sunlight being too bright or an unlit room being too dark can unconsciously pull you away from a film experience? This is why The Royal Tenenbaums, Asteroid City, The Darjeeling Limited, and Moonrise Kingdom all have very distinct color palettes that go along with the themes of the films. However, I’ll let you watch the movies instead of spoiling their ends.

Finally, soundtracks. The music in Wes Anderson films is very distinctive, and usually has bells, piano tones, and short plinks on string instruments. In short, the music is soft and staccato, like birdsong or background noise. Many times when watching his films, it’s almost like the music never starts playing because it never stopped. Asteroid City and The French Dispatch both had music composed by Andre Desplat, and both soundtracks have similar sounds and vibes. These are the tracks that you have been hearing in this presentation, “Viewing Of The Astronomical Ellipsis (Opening Comments: Dr. Hickenlooper)” from Asteroid City, and “Obituary” from The French Dispatch.

You may be wondering, “But what about these movies sets them apart? If they all follow this right angled, pastel-washed formula, then they all sound the same to me.” If you are worried about the same cookie-cuttered stories over and over again, fear not. The many genres seen in Wes Anderson movies make them applicable and enjoyable to everyone. Movies such as The French Dispatch cover a main story (a newspaper and its workers) and then touch on smaller stories with smaller messages (the stories the newspaper writes). In September of 2023, four short stories were released by Wes and his team, all from the short stories of Roald Dahl. These were all under 40 minutes in length and feel like bedtime stories, short and interesting.

Another common theme in Anderson’s movies is adventure, and the subcategories within. Movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel (a heist film) and Moonrise Kingdom (a story about young love and escapism) deal with adventure on two very different levels, one with bullying and misunderstanding, and one with literal firearms and car chases.

Familial ties and growth are further subcategories in these films. One sees proper representation of grief, single fatherhood, mental illness, and love in The Royal Tenenbaums. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, parental dynamics are strained by delusions of grandeur, and there are heavy topics about a parent’s illness and empathy towards youth affected by this. And finally The Darjeeling Limited deals with sibling dynamics with three brothers: one controlling, one rebellious, and one who just wants his older brothers to be proud of him. 

With this fresh knowledge in mind, let’s look back on that word from earlier; formalism. 

The opposite of realism, formalism refers to a more stylized form of filmmaking that uses lighting, sound, music, set design and color to help tell the story. Let's quickly look at this H&M commercial from 2017 “Come Together”, directed by Wes Anderson.

So again, why should you care about a Texan director? What sets his silly form of storytelling and movie aesthetics apart from other directors? I answer you with a hard truth. Too often we fall into the same cycle of movie experiences. It’s the same cliches, the same slow smirks from a love interest, same endings. We’re told that the rules of film are nonexistent, and yet we tend to follow them to a “t” so as to keep audiences returning for more. Change that. Challenge yourself. Allow yourself to break from a static narrative and look at what the world could be through a softer lens, a focused one, a Wes Anderson one.