Raleigh St. Clair – The Royal Tenenbaums

The famous neurologist Raleigh St. Clair is renowned for his research but isn’t so astute when it comes to observing his own relationship. After suspecting that his wife no longer cares for him, he hires a private investigator to follow her. It’s revealed that she’s having an affair with a childhood friend and also smoking. Raleigh is more dismayed by the smoking.

Rat – The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Voiced by Willem Dafoe, Rat works as a guard to the evil farmer Bean’s cider room. The switchblade-wielding psycho gets a sick thrill out of defeating Mr. Fox whenever the opportunity presents itself. Do you know how hard it is to train a rat to stay in one place let alone use a switchblade? VERY, I’d assume.

That Kid Who Ends Up In Almost All of the Shots – Rushmore

Seriously. Who is this kid? He gets more facetime in this movie than Bill Murray. Hardest working extra in show business.

Dudley Heinsbergen – The Royal Tenenbaums

Raleigh St. Clair’s young research subject Dudley suffers from a rare disorder combining symptoms of amnesia, dyslexia, and color-blindness, with a highly acute sense of hearing. The results are both interesting and bizarre.

Mr. Littlejeans – Rushmore

Not only does he keep the grounds of Rushmore prep school well-maintained and sufficiently raked, but he often goes above and beyond by repairing damages caused to the campus by cut brakelines and students getting their hands on dynamite. He’s also a lover of the arts as evidenced by his critique of Max Fisher’s Vietnam saga Heaven and Hell.

Eleanor Zissou – The Life Aquatic

Anjelica Huston does wonderful work in Wes Anderson’s films but it’s her work as Eleanor Zissou — the ex-wife and benefactor to ocean adventurer Steve — that stands out as my favorite. Her brash, strong nature make her by far the toughest character in Wes Anderson’s universe. This is how the woman breaks bad news: “Your cat’s dead… a rattlesnake bit it in the throat.”

She’s even tougher than Future Man.

Dirk Calloway – Rushmore

Though their friendship had some bumps (Max trying to get a handjob from Dirk’s mom), Max Fisher found a true friend in Dirk Calloway. Who else would valiantly confront Herman Blume with the assertion, “Oh yeah and with friends like you who needs friends?” Say a prayer for Surf Boy. Wherever he is.

Dignan – Bottle Rocket

Dignan was the character who started it all. The excitable, heist-hungry man-boy who guided his friends into treacherous waters. He also served as the world’s first introduction to Owen Wilson. So it’s safe to say that without this role, it’s likely the world would never have the pleasure of knowing Dupree, wedding crashing, or that guy who got eaten by Anaconda.

Steve Zissou – The Life Aquatic

The eccentric caricature of Jacques Cousteau has to deal with a lot. Not only is he on a blood mission against the Jaguar Shark that ate his partner, he’s also forced to deal with his own sh*t when he meets a woman who doesn’t return his affections, opting to be with his illegitimate son instead. This and an unpaid intern uprising force Steve to realize that his youth is over and life is fleeting. Perhaps he shouldn’t spend the remainder of his on a vengeance quest.

Royal Tenenbaum – The Royal Tenenbaums

Anderson’s most flawed and arrogant character. And by extension the best. Whether he’s faking stomach cancer to get in good with his estranged family, or giving the grandfatherly advice, “I’m not talking about dance lesson. I’m talking about putting a brick through the other guy’s windshield. I’m talking about taking it out and chopping it up.”

I wish my granddad gave me that kind of advice. I would kill to have material like that.

I’ve gone through the trailer below and picked out the elements that are classic Anderson. Have a look and let me know if I’ve missed any.

Awesome Wallpaper

Once Wes Anderson started getting larger budgets for his films, he immediately invested a good portion of that in awesome wallpaper. Even his films that take place on submarines and trains have really interesting walls. This design aesthetic was introduced for the most part in Rushmore but really hammered home with The Royal Tenenbaums. It looks like we can expect to marvel at the walls in Moonrise Kingdom as well. Sweet tent.

Overconfident Nerds

Another standard of Wes Anderson films are overconfident nerds. Moonrise Kingdom’s Sam seems cut from the Max Fischer cloth with his stern determination and absolute lack of fear. Reminds me of a young Bill Murray.