Some Common Features of Every (or At Least Most Of) Wes Anderson's Films

I love Wes Anderson's films. They are quirky, they are colourful. The characters a little weird but very interesting.

I think I have probably watched most of his films at least more than once. And doing so made me notice a few features that are often present in them.

There are several themes and situations that are common in a lot of his movies. Like kids who are way too mature for their age. Or adults who essentially behave like kids. Strained familial relationships are a constant theme in these movies as well. And yes, infidelity do seem to occur recurringly.

So I have decided to compile a list of features / traits that commonly shows up in Wes Anderson's movies. This is my tribute to the director who has gifted us all with many a fascinating film...

(Disclaimer: This article was written with the assumption that readers would have watched most or all of Wes Anderson's movies. Some details might serve as a spoiler. But it wasn't written with that intention.)

Do check out Wes Andeson's Movies Ranked if you haven't watched any of his movies yet and wish for an introduction into the amazing world he creates.

1. Bright Colours

With Colour Coordinated Costumes and Props.

I have never seen a dull or dark scene in any of Wes Anderson's movies. The scenes are always bursting with colours. Unless of course it is night time, even then it is as bright as one could pull off for a scene depicting night time.

The world he creates are always colourful but in an organised manner, following a certain colour palette. Each film with its own unique colour details.

Like in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou. Blue is the main colour, used as the uniform of the ship's crew and their diving attire. With other supporting colours like red for the cap, etc.; yellow for the submarine, etc.

The blue diving suit of the crew and the yellow submarine in the background

Here we can see the colour scheme of The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.

(Photo Credit: A Poster by Jordan Bolton)

Or the pinkish world of The Grand Budapest Hotel - The Hotel itself or pastry boxes of Mendl's.

His characters often wears well distinguished costumes again within the colour palette of the film,

Like the red tracksuits that Ben Stiller's character and his sons wear in The Royal Tenenbaums.

Or the purple costumes of the staff at the Grand Budapest Hotel.

And the yellow jumpsuits of the heist team in Bottle Rocket.

The props are also very distinguishable by their colours. Like the orange luggage in The Darjeeling Limited belonging to the the Whitman brothers.

Or the pink Mendl's boxes (already shown somewhere above). And even something that might be missed if you were not paying enough attention to it like Steve Zissou's shoes or Ritchie Tenenbaum's headband.

The headband that Ritchie wears into adulthood

Everything is carefully thought-out and executed with exact details.

Which brings me to the next trait... His glorious sets.

2. Stunning Visuals and Glorious Sets

Which are designed specifically for each film.

When one thinks of Wes Anderson's sets, The Grand Budapest Hotel always comes to mind. After all, that hotel was visually stunning. The whole movie was one hell of a visual feast.

In fact, the wide shot of the hotel was taken using a 9-feet high handmade miniature model that was specially crafted for the movie! Yup the header picture of this post is actually a miniature model. **Mind blown**

(Photo credit: The New York Times)

The elevator to the hotel as well as the cable car, the skiing scene, the trains moving along the tracks. All these were shot using miniature models along with many others!

The Elevator (Photo credit: The New York Times)

The Cable Car

The Skiing Scene

He used miniatures in other movies as well like The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou and of course in the stop-animation movies Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs.

Miniature model of the ship in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou

Submarine miniature in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou

Miniature model in Fantastic Mr. Fox

Another model used in Fantastic Mr.Fox

The design of these miniature models are carefully thought out and planned for by Wes Anderson along with the production designers.

Wes Anderson certainly loves having lots of control in his film making process and this brings us to the next feature...

3. Writing and Co-Writing Most of His Own Scripts

With the exception of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which was a story by Roald Dahl though he did indeed write its screenplay.

Even The Grand Budapest Hotel though it was largely influences by The World of Yesterday, a book by Stefan Zweig.

It is amazing that Wes Anderson writes most of his own stories. But perhaps not so surprising. After all as I mentioned before, his films have very common themes. These are probably themes that he loves exploring and bringing to life onscreen.

Sometimes with co-writers like Owen Wilson (one of his more regular co-writers), Jason Schwartzman or Roman Coppola to name a few.

And he doesn't just regularly team up with the same writers, he does that with fellow actors as well. And so the next point...

4. Owen Wilson

Who certainly does get around in the collection of Wes Anderson's films.

In fact, Owen and his brother Luke Wilson's very first movie was Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket. The Wilson brothers and Wes Anderson were friends before any of them ventured into Hollywood. It makes perfect sense that they made their first breaks together as well.

As you begin to watch Wes Anderson's movies, you will realize that he tends to work with the same people over and over again. Owen and Luke Wilson most definitely. Other more regular ones are Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and Jason Schwartzman,  Yet others include Waris Ahluwalia, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, William Dafoe, Kumar Pallana... Well, you get the idea.

Just some of the regular actors in Wes Anderson's films

5. Filming Style / Camera Shots

One of the most distinguishable shot of Wes Anderson are his symmetrical shots.

In the Dining Hall of the Grand Budapest Hotel

The Opening Scene of Fantastic Mr. Fox

Overhead shots, also called bird view or birds eye view. My absolute favorite kind!

This was especially beautiful in the Isle of Dogs sushi scene. I absolutely love that scene!!

Cutting and de-boning the fish

Removing the crab's internal organs

Preparing the tentacle

Other overhead shots in Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. Of course, Wes Anderson has got much much more of this shot sprinkled generously throughout his films. Have fun spotting them!

In Rushmore

From The Royal Tenenbaums

Panning shots / swish pans. Where camera pans from one scene to another rapidly by a sliding effect. These are a little hard to show in separate images. Especially the blurry effect created when the scene is transitioning real quick. Other panning shots include downwards camera movement, sort of like in the opening of each Star Wars movie.

Or long tracking shots which follows the movement of characters. This can be seen in the lateral tracking shot in Moonrise Kingdom following Edward Norton's scout master character as he moves around the camp doing his inspection.

I particularly like the tracking shot done in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou following Bill Murray and Owen Wilson's characters as they travelled through various compartments in the ship before finally reaching the deck. Below is the succession of images.

Let's begin with them entering the sauna room!

And finally end off with them climbing to the deck!

Of course there were cuts especially when characters had to navigate different levels. But truly a fascinating series of shots.

6. Compartmentalized space

For each characters.

Wes Anderson loves and knows how to use space very well. And it seems he understands that his characters need their own space as well.

Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaum is constantly locking herself in her room in a bid for privacy. Her safe space is in her bathtub.

Luke Wilson's Ritchie character has a tent that has been with him since childhood.

Wes Anderson loves continuous lateral tracking of the different characters in their own space. As evident in the shots of the different train compartments of the Darjeeling Limited showing the different characters in their own space.

Or the shot showing the characters in their individual cabins of the Belafonte ship in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.

The following shot in Moonrise Kingdom is another wonderful example. Done via a backward tracking shot, we see the different characters in their respective space from the foreground with Suzy Bishop, followed by her mum in the second layer of the space, her dad in the third and finally her brothers in the furthest layer.

I highly recommend watching this. It is in the first few minutes of the movie, within the opening credits.

7. Deaths

Deaths are a common part of Wes Anderson's films as it is in real life I guess. These can occur onscreen or off screen but they are almost always brought up within his movies.

The final funeral scene in The Royal Tenenbaums

If death occurs onscreen, it is presented in a matter-of-fact way. In an almost offhand manner, one could say. There is hardly any emotions, if any at all, from the by-standers or people closest to the deceased.

That is not to say that it is dealt with callously. Oh no.. The characters are very much affected by it. It might not be immediately apparent but the change in their life is major. Drastic even. Influencing a lot of their life's decisions.

Zero keeps a non-profitable Grand Budapest Hotel long past its heyday in memory of Agatha, his love.

Miss Cross in Rushmore can't seem to get over her husband's death.

A year after their father's death, the Whitman brothers, particularly Adrien Brody's character still seem to be mourning him like it was just yesterday.

Deaths affects Wes Anderson's characters deeply, even if they don't express it much.

Which brings me to my next point...

8. Deadpan or Wooden Expressions

A lot of times the characters in Wes Anderson's films have expressionless faces, even while discussing serious and dark issues. I remember the hospital scene in The Royal Tenenbaums when Luke Wilson was speaking of his suicide and the note he wrote with Ben Stiller. Both had very neutral expressions on their faces, in complete contrast to the dark topic they were discussing.

Below, Gwyneth Paltrow having just had her finger chopped off. She just has a slight disbelieving look. Me... I would have been yelling my head off.

Below, she is asking her dad to stay out of her affairs, presumably pissed about it or at the very least annoyed.

When she is at the hospital visiting Luke Wilson who had just attempted suicide. Having the same expression as above. 

Discussing her marriage and infidelity. Again same expression.

In Moonrise Kingdom, the characters' reaction to the death of a dog.

Expressionless in the face of death, albeit that of a dog

9. A elaborate plan for various purposes

Usually involves some kind of detailed drawing of a map or organised plans. Whether it is for a robbery or a rescue mission or an escape from prison. Or just to detail the route a character or a ship is taking.

Here we see a map to aid the prisoners escape captive in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

In Bottle Rocket, Owen Wilson's character came up with a very detailed life plan for himself and his friend that went as far ahead as the next 25 to 50 years.

10. Punches

And physical fights and confrontations between the Male Characters are very common place in Wes Anderson's films. Often they occur suddenly without any warning.

Adrien Brody without warning giving a punch to Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hetel

And the impact

And then Adrien Brody gets a punch

Finally rounding off with Zero getting punched

Punches thrown between Owen Wilson and Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.

Bill Murray throws the first punch

And then Owen Wilson throws his

The Darjeeling Express has fight between Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody. Jason Schwartzman comes in with the pepper spray.

The Royal Tenenbaum has fight between Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller

There are other as well. Like in Bottle Rocket between Owen Wilson and Robert Musgraves's characters. Also a punch that Owen Wilson gave Luke Wilson.

And even his animation characters engage in the occasional fisticuffs.

Dog fight in Isle of Dogs

11. Awesome soundtrack

It is almost as if Wes Anderson takes the equal amount of time hunting for the music of his movies as he does in making the movies themselves. Which is obviously very important since music can set the right mood for any particular scene.

The soundtracks for his movies often include songs of the 1960s from bands like The Rolling Stones or The Kinks.

Of course these are not all there is to it. I believe if I continue analysing his films for another week or month, more commonalities will start gathering. And that is something I look forward to revisiting again. 

**Did you notice any other commonalities that are not yet mentioned here? Do share your observations. I would love to dissect his films in even more depths.