OVERLAY REPORT

In the meticulous world of stop-motion animation, "improvisation" works differently than in live-action films. Because every frame of **Isle of Dogs (2018)** had to be carefully animated to match a pre-recorded vocal track, the actors could not improvise physically on set. However, director Wes Anderson deliberately fostered a highly collaborative and spontaneous environment during the **voice recording phase**, which led to several "improvised" elements that were later brought to life by the animators. The following specific scenes and details involve improvisation: ### 1. The "Dog Pack" Group Sessions Unlike most animated films where actors record in isolation, Wes Anderson gathered the core "alpha dog" cast—**Bryan Cranston (Chief), Edward Norton (Rex), Bill Murray (Boss), and Bob Balaban (King)**—to record together in a "log cabin-style" studio in New York. * **The Detail:** Bill Murray and Bryan Cranston have noted that because they were in the same room, they were able to "bounce off" one another, creating a conversational, "overheard" rhythm that wasn't strictly dictated by the script's timing. * **The Result:** The overlapping dialogue and naturalistic bickering seen in the early Trash Island scenes (such as the dogs debating whether to help the "Little Pilot") were born from these live group interactions rather than separate recordings. ### 2. Spontaneous Animalistic Sounds ("Dogging Up") Wes Anderson encouraged the actors to "dog up" during their recording sessions, which involved making spontaneous, unscripted animal noises. * **The Detail:** Actors like Jeff Goldblum and Bill Murray were told to provide a variety of barks, whines, growls, and sniffs that were not in the script. * **The Result:** Animators then matched these spontaneous sounds with specific puppet movements. For example, the awkward pauses where a dog might suddenly lick its paw or tilt its head in a specific way often came from an actor making an unplanned sound or taking a breath that Anderson liked and decided to keep. ### 3. Jeff Goldblum’s "Duke" and Rumor-Mongering Jeff Goldblum’s character, **Duke**, is the pack's resident gossip. Goldblum is famous for his "Goldblum-isms" (stutters, "ums," and digressions). * **The Detail:** Although Goldblum recorded his parts separately over the phone while in Los Angeles, he engaged in a back-and-forth with Anderson where he was allowed to try different variations of his lines. * **The Result:** Duke’s specific delivery—his "rumor" sequences where he says, *"You heard the rumor, right?"*—retains much of Goldblum’s natural speech patterns. While the content of the rumors was scripted, the specific "Goldblum-y" timing and vocal ticks were improvised during the session and then painstakingly animated to match his unique cadence. ### 4. Incorporation of Recording "Accidents" In a unique move for high-end animation, Anderson often kept "imperfect" audio—such as microphone pops, heavy breathing, or vocal stumbles—rather than re-recording them. * **The Detail:** Bryan Cranston noted that if a recording had a "pop" or a "breath," the animation team would actually **alter the puppet's performance** to explain the sound. * **The Result:** If a dog character makes a sudden, sharp intake of breath or a vocal glitch, it is often because the actor did so spontaneously during recording, and the animators "improvised" a movement (like a quick snout twitch or eye dart) to make the accident feel intentional and character-driven. ### 5. Narrator Rhythm with Courtney B. Vance The film's narrator, Courtney B. Vance, initially recorded the narration with a specific "newsreel" style. * **The Detail:** During the session, Vance and Anderson experimented with different rhythms. Vance described a process of "finding the voice" through trial and error, moving away from a traditional narrator style into a more "gravitas-filled" and rhythmic delivery that was discovered on the fly. * **The Result:** This influenced the final pacing of the entire film, as the animation's timing was adjusted to match the narrator's newly discovered rhythm.