Wes Anderson’s films have a distinct style, causing him to be recognized as the modern-day auteur. His deadpan humor, dysfunctional family dynamics, symmetrical shots, incredible stop-motion animation details, deliberate use of limited color palette, and stunning visual cinematography are just some of the reasons why Anderson is my favorite director.

Anderson is known for his frequent collaborations with actors and writers. Writers Noah Baumbach, Roman Coppola, and Hugo Guinness have been involved with Anderson’s films for many years. Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Frances McDormand, Jeff Goldblum, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson are just some of the major actors tied to Anderson’s projects. He has also added newer actors into the mix, such as Saorise Ronan and Timothée Chalamet. Both are starring in Anderson’s newest movie French Dispatch, which premieres in October.

To date, Anderson has only released nine films, but they are masterpieces in their own respect and worth watching multiple times. I have rewatched his movies, and each time I do new details or themes present themselves that I didn’t previously notice. Since I’ve just been rewatching his films in quarantine, I thought I would curate a list of my favorites.

My Favorite Wes Anderson Movies:

7. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

After not seeing each other since their father’s funeral in New York a year ago, three brothers—Peter, Francis, and Jack Whitman—reunite and attempt to bond with each other on a spiritual journey as they travel across India on a train called “The Darjeeling Limited.” Francis recently survived a motorcycle crash and, unbeknownst to his brothers, is secretly attempting to communicate with their estranged mother living in India. Peter is married and about to become a father, but fails to share any personal information about his life with his brothers. Jack plans to get back together with his unfaithful ex-girlfriend and leave the trip early.

They say there are no bad Wes Anderson movies, and “they” would be right. However, this movie is thus far his greatest flop of all time, both commercially and critically. With the high expectations that normally come with his movies, Anderson created a pretty mediocre film. Not horrible, but not amazing either. The script by Roman Cappola and Jason Schwartzman is acceptable with hilarious one-liners such as, “How can a train be lost? It’s on rails,” but the overarching thematics are a repeated trope of previous films. Some of the Indian themes are nothing short of exoticism, but other subplots are beautifully and respectfully done. You should watch it because it’s an Anderson movie, but watch it with low expectations. There is a prequel to the film called Hotel Chevalier, focusing on Jack Whitman and his ex-girlfriend played by Natalie Portman. It is an incredible short film Anderson financed on his own, which in my opinion is better than the full feature-length film.

6. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer and filmmaker, was in the middle of shooting a documentary when his partner and best friend Esteban was eaten by a “jaguar shark.” For his upcoming project, Zissou sets out to take revenge on the animal and film it. While attempting and failing to gain financial support for the endeavor, pilot Ned Plimpton believes Zissou is his father and offers his inheritance to help Zissou. Pregnant journalist Jane Winslett-Richardson tags along with the team to chronicle the voyage across the sea.

Originally thought of as Anderson’s biggest flop, modern critics have reevaluated and praised The Life Aquatic. The performances of Owen Wilson as Ned Plimpton, Bill Murray as Steven Zissou, and Cate Blancett as Jane Winslett-Richardson particularly shine in this movie. With filming locations in Naples and the Italian Riviera, the production is a wonderful form of escapism. Seu Jorge performing Portuguese-language covers of David Bowie catalog is a major highlight for me after every watch. The film is dedicated to iconic French diver and pioneer Jacques Cousteau as both a homage and parody.

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

In the 1930s, Monsieur Gustave H. is the much-admired concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel mountain resort in the fictitious kingdom of Zubrowka. Gustave, known for seducing wealthy older clients, is framed for the murder of Madame D., who he had an affair with for decades. Gustave and his newest lobby boy Zero embark on a wild quest for the priceless Renaissance painting Madame D. bequeathed to Gustave in her will amongst all the rest of the bizarre chaos and pandemonium that her death has created.

Anderson’s most known and commercially successful film is The Grand Budapest Hotel. The cinematography is simply perfection and otherworldly with its muted pink and pale yellow color palette. The dynamic duo of Ralph Fiennes as Monsieur Gustave and Tony Revolori as Zero creates the wittiest banter of all time. I did thoroughly enjoy the film for these reasons, and its opulence setting of war slowly shadowing the hotel. However, I have a much fonder attachment to his other films. It’s a great starting point for those unfamiliar with Anderson’s filmography. It serves as a “dip your feet in the shallow end before you dive all the way in” type of movie.

4. Isle of Dogs (2018)

Set in 2037 Japan, all the dogs of Megaskai City are exiled to Trash Island by Mayor Kobayashi after an outbreak of canine flu. Despite Professor Wantanabe, Mayor Kobayashi’s political rival, insisting that the dog flu can be cured, the decree is immediately approved. The mayor’s orphan nephew, Atari, then flies a plane to the island to rescue his dog Spots and gets stranded. Dogs Chief, Rex, Duke, King, and Boss assist Atari on his journey through Trash Island to help him find his best friend. Meanwhile, back in Megaskai Island, American exchange student, journalist, and pro-dog activist Tracy Walker suspects a government conspiracy about the reason behind the city’s entire dog population exile and begins to investigate.

Whichever critic decided that Anderson for some reason hates dogs, Isle of Dogs pacifies that odd concern. The stop motion animation of the film deserves an award for the meticulous attention to detail, particularly the sushi scene. I distinctly remember on a flight to Copenhagen, I cried my eyes out so much watching this movie that the flight attendants gave me chocolate and champagne because they felt bad for me. For anyone who loves dogs, regardless of their love for Anderson, the film’s portrayal of the relationship between man and his dog is beautiful. The most intriguing part of the film is that a good portion of the Japanese spoken is not translated, with good reason. Without having to explain it, Anderson acknowledges that there is no true translation of one language to another. While it may sound like it will be difficult to understand what’s going on, he does an incredible job of utilizing the character’s facial expressions and surroundings to help articulate the situation and the character’s actual feelings, without the use of language.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Three gifted siblings achieve great success at a young age: Chas is a math genius and businessman; Richie is an artist and tennis prodigy; and adopted sister Margot is an award-winning playwright. Richie’s muse is Margot, whom he is madly in love with. Their eccentric and disappointing father, Royal Tenenbaum, and their attentive mother, Etheline, decide to get separated. Royal fails to be a part of the children’s lives after the estrangement. Years later, the trio of children grew up to be failures, having peaked at a young age. Richie had a mental breakdown and is traveling the world on a cruise ship; Chas is overprotective of his sons after his wife died in a plane crash; and Margot is married to a neurologist from whom she conceals her secretive past. Claiming to have a fake terminal illness, Royal attempts to reconcile with his children and ex-wife who have all shunned him for his lack of presence in their lives.

As the movie that brought Anderson to critical acclaim for his work, The Royal Tenenbaums famously inspired the runways of Paris and Milan and hundreds of Halloween costumes. I particularly enjoy this movie due to its thematic tale of dysfunctional families, nostalgia, and the looming failures of growing up. By showing that people are not always good or bad, it helps illustrate all of the characters as being human. Just one example of Anderson’s sheer genius is his decision to dress up the adult children in their childhood clothes as a metaphor: the three siblings turn to times of their successful youth as a way to cope with their disappointing adulthood. Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum is just the right amount of wrong that you can’t help but root for him. But what gives the movie its cult following is the iconic siblings of Luke Wilson as Richie, Ben Stiller as Chas, and Gweneth Paltrow as Margot.

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

In rural England, Mr. Fox moves his family Mrs. Fox and his small insecure son Ash into a tree nearby ruthless farmers. Mr. Fox's naturally athletic nephew Kristofferson moves in with the family shortly after. Although disapproved by Mrs. Fox, Mr. Fox sneaks out at night and steals food from the three mean and wealthy farmers: the chicken farmer, Walter Boggis; the duck and goose farmer, Nathan Bunce; and the apple farmer, Franklin Bean. Fed up with Mr. Fox’s antics and theft, the three farmers team up to kill him by any means.

Most people see animated movies only for people young at heart or children, but this classic narrative from Roald Dahl has turned into a movie that everyone must see. As Anderson’s first animation and book adaption, he transformed the well-known story and created a witty, brilliant world of theft, family relations, and three ridiculous farmers’ attempts to exact revenge. The nostalgia of the setting inspired by Dahl’s home, and the painstaking stop-motion animation has made this amazing film a piece of art.

1. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Set in the 1960s on a fictitious island off of New England, 12-year-old orphan Sam Shakusky leaves his scouting camp to reunite with his pen pal love interest, Suzy Bishop, who lives on the island and has a tendency to be a bit aggressive. Feeling misunderstood and rejected by the adults who take care of them and their peers, the lovers leave everyone behind to rendezvous on an isolated beach. Meanwhile, the island’s police gather the scoutmaster of the camp, camp members, and Suzy’s family to find the runaway lovers.

Moonrise Kingdom is widely argued as Anderson’s best movie. It is particularly praised for the ensemble of child actors and their performances (familiar faces like Lucas Hedges make an appearance), as well as the magnificent subtlety of its themes woven throughout. When I watched the movie for the first time, the two main characters and Edward Norton’s character captivated me immediately. I missed many subplots my first time around, which I only discovered after watching it time and time again over the years. The almost melancholy, whimsical nature of the film always brings me back to cherished childhood summer memories and of my first love when I was also 12. If there was only one Anderson film to watch, this would be it; I could watch this film every day forever and still never tire of it.

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