If you haven’t seen all of these aesthetically beautiful Wes Anderson movies, can you even call yourself a fan?
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Updated 3 months ago,January 16, 2025
Visionary directors are a dime a dozen, but only a few have designed their own idiosyncratic style to the same extent as Wes Anderson.
Since entering the film industry in the mid 1990s, Anderson has purposefully created a unique thematic and visual style that can only be accurately described as Wes Andersonian.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou / Buena Vista
Favoring symmetrical camera angles, bright color palettes, and an extensive reliance on practical effects, Anderson has garnered widespread attention for his indelible cinematic creations, culminating in various accolades at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards, among many other global institutions.
From meticulous stop-motion animated films to seafaring comedic adventure movies, here are some of Wes Andersons greatest films to date, ranked in order from worst to best.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Having successfully utilized stop-motion animation with his earlierFantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson drew on his own fantastical story with 2018sIsle of Dogs.Incorporating his love for classic Japanese cinema and Rankin/Bass TV specials, Anderson presents an unforgettably creative subversion of the dystopian genre withIsle of Dogs.
In spite of all its sumo wrestling, poisoned sushi platters, villainous government officials, and feral bands of dogs, however,Isle of Dogsnever loses its sense of human emotion, pulling on viewers heartstrings in more than a few places.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2002)
Many of Andersons most well-known films focus on family, relationships, and the occasional struggle to connect with our emotionally distant loved ones.
Nowhere are these ideas on fuller display than 2002sThe Royal Tenenbaums, a roving comedy drama detailing a familys efforts to come closer together.
Fox Searchlight
Establishing what might very well be his most colorful cast of characters yet, Anderson shows off his clear propensity for mixing grounded themes with otherwise outlandish situations inThe Royal Tenenbaums,leaving little reason to wonder about the films favorable reputation today.
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Andersons first and so far only career shortcoming came with 2004sLife Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Earning a multitude of mixed reviews at the time of its release, modern viewers have long since reappraisedSteve Zissou, citing it as one of Andersons single finest achievements as a director.
Buena Vista
Dovetailing a luminous aquatic color scheme with splendid visual effects and a first-rate cast,Steve Zissouunfolds with the jovial complexity of Andersons best films, complete with an existential Bill Murray in the title role.
Rushmore (1998)
The film that launched Anderson to new heights in the film industry,Rushmorealso illustrated Andersons gradual transformation into a more confident director.
After earning standout acclaim with his debut filmBottle Rocket,Anderson introduced numerous filmmaking characteristics that quickly became associated with his name onRushmore, including an increased dependence on static camera angles and stronger, almost literary characterization.
Buena Vista
In this sense, while some might viewRushmoreas an interesting career segue for Anderson, its also worth pointing out how singularly terrificRushmoreis when judged on its own artistic merits.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
After years spent toying with stop-motion animation techniques, Anderson elected to make his first feature-length stop-motion film with 2009sFantastic Mr. Fox.The first of several Roald Dahl adaptations overseen by Anderson,Fantastic Mr. Foxmay not feature an original story by Anderson, but Dahls underlying narrative seemed to go hand-in-hand with Andersons greatest sensibilities as a storyteller.
An ideal starting place for all those new to Andersons filmography, its an imaginative childrens movie capable of entertaining the whole family.
Buena Vista
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Anderson has long taken a nostalgic view of adolescence, frequently exploring childrens tentative first steps into the murkier world of adulthood.
WithMoonrise Kingdom,the filmmaker focuses on this concept more fully, zeroing in on two young lovers escaping the overbearing adults in their lives.
Providing a painstaking recreation of 1960s New England, watchingMoonrise Kingdomsomehow returns viewers to the twilight days of their own youths, encouraging them to think back on their initial encounters with love, teenage friendships, and their first conflicts with the parental figures dictating their young, inexperienced lives.
20th Century Fox
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Even the most dedicated detractors of Andersons work can find something to love aboutThe Grand Budapest Hotel.A stylish love letter to the novels and short stories of Stefan Zweig, Anderson not only creates his own fictional setting inGrand Budapest he literally engineers an entire national history, along with an expansive cast list that reads like a whos who of the contemporary film industry.
Through this dedicated artistic commitment,The Grand Budapest Hotelrises to the forefront of Andersons filmography, paving the way to a modern classic sure to be studied, analyzed, and thoroughly enjoyed for years to come.
Focus Features
Fox Searchlight
