Wes Anderson Is Returning to Stop-Motion Animation for His Next Film

Wes Anderson proved that his talents translate well to animation with Fantastic Mr. Fox, and since then we’ve wondered when or if the consistently delightful director would return to the medium. As it turns out, his next project is a stop-motion animated film that will once again center on animals — this time with dogs.

The Playlist reports that Anderson has two projects currently in development: up first is an untitled stop-motion project that takes place in the world of dogs, and as the report notes, that’s an intriguing concept given how often dogs are killed in Anderson’s films. The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr. Fox all involve dog deaths, so it seems like this is Anderson’s way of cleverly acknowledging it.

Anderson is also plotting an anthology-style episodic film inspired by the work of Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica. The director announced the project last year, explaining that the narrative would be divided into episodes like De Sica’s The Gold of Naples, a film Anderson presented at the Lisbon and Estoril Film Festival.

The director’s last film was 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which proved to be his most successful film to date, and earned him nine Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. He ultimately walked away with four. Anderson continues to deliver increasingly appealing films, and it might not be long before he finally takes home that Best Picture Oscar.