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Jeff Goldblum Talks About Voicing A Dog For Wes Anderson

The canine character of Duke is voiced by actor Jeff Goldblum in Wes Anderson's stop motion animated film, "Isle of Dogs."
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The canine character of Duke is voiced by actor Jeff Goldblum in Wes Anderson's stop motion animated film, "Isle of Dogs."

Stop motion animated feature 'Isle of Dogs' opens Wednesday

Jeff Goldblum Talks About Voicing A Dog For Wes Anderson
GUESTS: Jeff Goldblum, 'Isle of Dogs' voice actor Beth Accomando, KPBS film critic

Wes Anderson returns to the stop motion animation style of his 2009 film "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" for "Isle of Dogs," a tale of a pack of canines helping a young boy reunite with his dog Spots.

Anderson turns to a talented group of actors to voice the pack of dogs including Bryan Cranston as Chief, Edward Norton as Rex, Bob Balaban as King, Bill Murray as Boss, Scarlett Johansson as Nutmeg, and Jeff Goldblum as Duke.

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Goldblum has worked with Anderson before on "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel." He described Anderson as a meticulous director who scripts every word with precision.

To voice the character of Duke he recorded the entire script and then had his performance animated to over the next three years. He said that his character is prone to gossip and that to prepare for the role he spent a little more time with his own dog.

The film looks to a Japan set 20 years in the future when an epidemic of dog flu has prompted the government to banish all dogs to an island. But one young boy desperately wants to reunite with his dog Spots, and he manages to get to the Isle of Dogs to enlist the help of Chief's canine pack.

Check out the behind the scenes video where the actor interviews were animated. It provides a lovely sense of the flavor of the film and its endearing animation style.

'Isle of Dogs' Actor Interviews