More so than with any other living filmmaker, you immediately know when you are watching Wes Anderson movies. The auteur has developed a trademark style, color palette, cinematography, and tone for his various movies over the years. This unique form of visual storytelling has led to some of the most inventive and iconic shots in modern cinema
As part of our partnership with AMC Theatres, which selected Asteroid City as an Artisan film, and where you can now purchase tickets to see the film on the big screen, we’ve decided to go back through his first 10 movies and pick out the shots that best represent the director’s iconic style. Many planning sessions, dance parties, and melodramatic moments went into the making of this list, so please enjoy.
Bottle Rocket (1996) - Planning The Robbery
Though he had not yet fully developed the style for which he is now known, you can see traces of what was to come in Wes Anderson’s 1996 crime comedy, Bottle Rocket, which he wrote alongside Owen Wilson, one of his most prolific collaborators. This is best illustrated in the scene in which Dignan (Wilson), Anthony Adams (Luke Wilson), and Bob Mapplethorpe (Robert Musgrave) are planning the film’s robbery.
Planning sequences would go on to become a major component of Anderson’s work in the years to come, so it’s fun to see the genesis of this element in his debut film.
Rushmore (1998) - The Revenge Montage
Anderson continued to evolve his style with his 1998 sophomore effort, Rushmore, a movie about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) who goes to war with his mentor, Herman Blume (Bill Murray), after they both fall in love with the same woman, played by Olivia Williams.
The director has long used non-orchestral songs in some of his biggest scenes, and that’s the case in the “Revenge Montage” in Rushmore, where Max gets back at Herman in their petty feud. The entire sequence, which is set to The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away,” is worth a watch, but the shot of the teenager walking in slow motion out of an elevator after carrying out his revenge is classic.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - Window Scene In Prologue
The Royal Tenenbaums, released in 2001, feels like the beginning of the style we now most associate with Wes Anderson. The distinct color palettes, the multitude of symmetrical shots, and the quirky tone are all on full display in this movie about an estranged father (Gene Hackman) attempting to reconnect with his family.
There’s a moment in which the younger versions of Margot and Chas Tenenbaum look out windows at their father down below. The contrast of red bricks, gray stone, pink walls, and white art on the walls sets a visual tone that is carried throughout the rest of the movie.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004) - In Awe Of The Jaguar Shark
In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Anderson takes the visual toolbox he constructed in his three previous films to create a career-defining experience, one that tells the story of an oceanographer (Bill Murray) searching for the “Jaguar Shark” that ate his best friend, but the underwater encounter with the fabled beast is the best.
There’s a moment in which Zissou, who is in the center of the frame, is being embraced by everyone in a cramped submarine as they find the elusive Jaguar Shark. Both triumphant and melancholic, the sequence, thanks in part to Sigur Ros’ beautiful “Staralfur,” creates an unforgettable moment.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - The Funeral Scene
His fifth movie, 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited, takes audiences along with three brothers – Peter (Adrien Brody), Francis (Owen Wilson), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) as they go on a spiritual journey through India.
There’s a shot part way through the movie where the brothers leave a funeral for a young boy in one of the most impressive tracking shots of Anderson’s career. But the moment gets even better when the trio get into a car and the movie immediately cuts to a flashback from their father’s funeral a year earlier. Not only does the cut show how far they’ve come, it also creates a dizzying visual experience.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) - Mr. Fox Meets The Wolf
The filmmaker’s 2009 stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox is a true delight and one of his best achievements. The animated movie, with its warm colors, outstanding cinematography, and tremendous story, gives plenty of reasons to be so well remembered.
The moment that always comes back is the scene in which Mr. Fox (George Clooney) has a near-religious experience when he meets a wolf in the wild. It’s a short scene, but a powerful one nonetheless, and is capped off with a shot of both the wild wolf and not-so-wild fox sharing a moment of solidarity with their paws raised towards the heavens.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - The Treehouse
Released in 2012, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of a young boy and girl who run away together to an isolated beach in an attempt to escape their guardians and peers. The central coming-of-age story is a grand exploration of young love, rebellion, and freedom, but there are a lot of secondary characters that lead to some signature Wes Anderson moments.
One of the quirkiest of these shots shows a treehouse built by a group of Khaki Scouts at the top of the tallest tree you’ve ever seen. Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton) is not amused or excited about the dangerous shelter several stories in the sky, but for the viewer it creates an unforgettable moment.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - Jail Escape
Some would argue that The Grand Budapest Hotel is the most Wes Anderson movie of his career, and there’s a case to be made for that. The movie, which centers on the famed concierge, Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Feinnes), of a mountainside resort, is full of great miniatures, tracking shots, a great deal of symmetry, and a great score.
We could talk about a number of scenes, however, the one that sticks out the most is the jailbreak scene in which Gustave and his fellow prisoners attempt to escape. It’s cartoonish, meticulous, and incredibly charming, which are probably the best ways to describe Anderson’s work.
Isle Of Dogs (2018) - The Sushi Scene
In 2018, Anderson released his second stop-motion animated movie, Isle of Dogs, in which the mayor of a Japanese town banned all dogs and sent them to a remote island. We could go on about all the gorgeous shots and sequences throughout this charming movie, but the sushi scene is the scène du jour.
Though the sequence does end with someone eating a poisoned piece of sushi, the events that precede it are beautifully crafted and animated. The combination of violence and artistry creates this very Wes Anderson experience, one that is so precise and well-crafted.
The French Dispatch (2021) - The Sentence Diagram
Anderson’s 2021 anthology film, The French Dispatch, brings to life three stories from the final issue of the French foreign bureau of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper. Each of the main segments are full of wonderful moments, but the most Wes Anderson shot of the whole film takes place in one of the portions following the staff of the newspaper.
The moment in question shows Alumna (Elisabeth Moss), the French Dispatch’s copy editor, working on what could be the most impressive sentence diagram the world has ever seen. It’s unnecessarily complicated, but that has sort of become Anderson’s charm in recent years.
We can’t wait to see what Wes Anderson has in store for us with Asteroid City, whether it’s crafting wonderfully composed shots of characters in symmetrical settings, wonderful musical numbers, or anything else we covered. If you’re just as intrigued and excited, you’ll probably want to go ahead and purchase your tickets before you’re out of time.
Asteroid City opens in theaters on June 23, 2023.
