Consider this a pro-dog space, and soon you’ll understand why. In Wes Anderson’s upcoming “Isle of Dogs,” the residents of a futuristic (and deeply dystopian) Japanese city undertake some wild measures to combat spreading disease (and unease), relegating the city’s dogs — all of the dogs — to so-called Trash Island. When one dedicated owner takes it upon himself to literally fly to the island to save his beloved dog, it sets into motion a wild chain of events that will not only impact “little pilot” Atari (voiced by Koyu Rankin) and his pup Spots (voiced by Liev Schreiber), but all of the residents of the island and beyond.

And what a charming batch of residents they are. Bolstered by the voice talents of stars like Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, and Scarlett Johansson, the canines of Trash Island are about as vivid and...