Isle of Dogs

Parents need to know that Isle of Dogs is an imaginative stop-motion animated movie from Wes Anderson, who also directed Fantastic Mr. Fox; this one has a bit more iffy material. Dogs fight (shown as a cloud of smoke with limbs popping in and out), and we see injuries to both dogs and humans and a little animated blood and gore. Some dogs have military-issue teeth that fire like bullets and explode. A sushi chef chops up live, moving fish for a meal. Minor characters die, dog skeletons are shown, and there are spoken and visual moments with scary and/or unpleasant images (as well as talk of suicide). Expect a few references to dogs being in heat and mating; a human male's bottom is seen as he gets out of the bath. Language includes "son of a bitch," "bitch" (referring to a female dog), and "damn it." A woman sits at a bar with drinks in front of her, and a minor character smokes a pipe. Some younger kids might be confused by the lack of translation of most of the movie's spoken Japanese, but the story is still totally clear (although it has sparked some discussion around possible cultural appropriation). It's a wondrous movie, but it's likely best for tweens and up.