Wes Anderson Archives | Moss and Fog

Art

Over 600 Wes Anderson Movie Props To Go On Display in London Exhibit

May 2, 2025 Art

Wes Anderson’s charmingly symmetrical world is stepping off the screen and into London’s Design Museum with Wes Anderson: The Archives.

The exhibition opens a pastel-hued window into the filmmaker’s meticulous mind, featuring over 600 artifacts—original props, costumes, and miniatures from classics like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Asteroid City.

Miniature model and sign of the train, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, and blackboard depicting the Solar System, ASTEROID CITY. Photo Richard Round-Turner. © the Design Museum

Think pink hotels, vintage vending machines, and a curated dose of cinematic whimsy.

Beyond the visual delights, visitors will discover storyboards, sketches, and handwritten notes that showcase the precision behind Anderson’s dreamy compositions.

A whimsical, humanoid rat character dressed in a red and white striped shirt and blue jeans, holding scissors in both hands. — Rat puppet by Arch Model Studio for *Fantastic Mr. Fox*. Photo: Richard Round-Turner, © the Design Museum.

From Gwyneth Paltrow’s iconic Royal Tenenbaums tennis attire to the “Boy with Apple” painting, this exhibit offers a rare and enchanting peek behind the curtain of one of cinema’s most distinctive storytellers.

The Show opens at the Design Museum in London from November 21st, 2025 — July 26th, 2026.

Vending machines from Atelier Simon Weisse for the film *Asteroid City*. Photo: Richard Round-Turner, © the Design Museum.

A doll with a large curly hairstyle wearing a headband labeled 'PRO DOG' and a shirt featuring a graphic design. — Tracy’s puppet (detail), Arch Model Studio, ISLE OF DOGS. Photo Richard Round-Turner. © the Design Museum

“François Voltaire” suitcases of the Whitman brothers. Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton. “wildlife” print designed by Eric Chase Anderson. THE DARJEELING LIMITED. Photo Roger Do Minh. © the Design Museum

The Design Museum has been granted unprecedented access to Wes Anderson’s personal archives, which the filmmaker has built up over three decades. This is the first time most of these objects will be displayed in Britain.

This landmark exhibition will chart the evolution of Wes Anderson’s films from early experiments in the 1990s to recent productions as well as collaborations with key long-standing creative partners. Explore the design stories behind award-winning and iconic films such as ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ and ‘Isle of Dogs’.

A young boy dressed in historical clothing, holding a green apple and sitting in a chair against a red curtain backdrop. The artwork features intricate details in the attire. — Michael Taylor, *Boy with Apple by Johannes Van Hoytl the Younger* for the film *The Grand Budapest Hotel*. Image courtesy the artist.

Model of the Grand Budapest Hotel featuring intricate architectural details and a pink and white facade. — Model of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Photo: © Thierry Stefanopoulos – La Cinémathèque Française.

A vintage motorcycle featuring a red and yellow checkered pattern, positioned on a wooden surface with a plain background. — Miniature motorcycle of Mr. Fox, Arch Model Studio, FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Photo Richard Round-Turner. © the Design Museum

AI

If Wes Anderson Directed Lord of the Rings, a Strange and Quirky AI Journey

May 14, 2023 AI

Entitled “The Whimsical Fellowship”, this strange and funny interpretation of The Lord of the Rings is a spoof, in the style of director Wes Anderson. Created with AI tools to help visualize the iconic director’s trademark style, we see an alternate cast play some of the signature characters, from Timothée Chalamet as Frodo to Bill Murray as Gandalf.

The trailer itself was rendered and edited with the help of ai video editor tools, which explains the strange pseudo-likenesses and uncanny valley movement of the rendered characters. There are some additions to the editing like Anderson’s trademark typefaces and camera moves that help brand the story, though it’s clear that Wes Anderson himself had nothing to do with this spoof.

Created by the Curious Refuge group, they’ve taken on Star Wars with a similar approach, showcasing some clever casting, along with AI’s unique visual assistance.

Take a look at the trailer below to see how this spoof measures up to a real Wes Anderson trailer.

Art

The ‘French Dispatch’ is Wes Anderson’s Love Letter to Journalism

October 28, 2021 Art

For his 10th feature film, Wes Anderson creates a love letter to journalism and to the spirit of The New Yorker Magazine. In his trademark staged artifice, the director creates a world full of subtle humor, vintage set pieces, and, of course, amazing actors.

We’ve always been fans of the way his films are like design pieces, with use of symmetry and costumes that are witty yet precise.

His latest movie is called The French Dispatch, and it includes many of the usual cast of characters, plus some delightful new ones.

the diverse cast includes Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson.

The film debuted late October 2021.

Architecture

If Wes Anderson Designed The Simpsons

October 30, 2020 Architecture

The Simpsons and Wes Anderson’s films like The Royal Tenenbaums seem like odd bedfellows.

But when reimagined with creative yet faithful set design, the two seem like a perfect match.

Created for HomeAdvisor, these scenes and locations from the long running animated series have been transformed into real life places, but with careful style and design that make them seem at home in Anderson’s quirky but deeply lovable movies.

From Homer’s station at the nuclear power plant to good ‘ol Moe’s Bar, the scenery is believable and yet too perfect at the same time.

Via HomeAdvisor:

Art

Come Together – Short Film By Wes Anderson

December 12, 2018 Art

No, there’s not a full length Wes Anderson movie out this holiday season to satisfy your film cravings, but oddly enough, there’s a charming H&M ad you can watch, and it’s pretty great. Adrien Brody stars as the train conductor, and even though the film is under 4 minutes, it has man of the charming touches you’ve come to expect from a Wes Anderson movie. From the delightful set pieces to his trademark timing and camera angles, it’s a very cohesive little piece. And thankfully, it’s decidedly un-advertisey. Thanks H&M!

Animals

That Masterful Stop-Motion Sushi Scene from Isle of Dogs

December 12, 2018 Animals

If you’ve not seen Wes Anderson‘s Isle of Dogs, you should make a point to. Set in Japan and starring a great cast of furry friends, the movie is entirely made with stop-motion animation, giving it a beautifully hand made feel.

There is a somber tone to some of the movie, but also a number of funny, exciting parts as well. One particularly beautiful scene is of an evil character making sushi. It stuck out to us as an impressively crafted and choreographed scene, and we’re happy to see it getting the recognition it deserves. The scene took a full 32 days of professional animating to create.

Check out the making-of scene below, and also a Variety feature about the movie’s complex stop-motion. Via Colossal:

Art

Great Screenprints featuring Master Filmmakers

October 30, 2018 Art

A fantastic series of screen prints from Stellavie feature some of the world’s most famous and critically acclaimed film directors. In collaboration with artist Julian Rentzsch, these 16″ x 20″ prints are beautifully illustrated to showcase the director’s portrait, along with a number of vignettes of their most famous films. Limited to 200 prints per series, this collection is a must-have for serious film buffs. The series so far includes Fincher, P.T. Anderson, Hitchcock, Scorsese, Burton, Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Coppola, Kubrick, Lynch, Nolan and Spielberg. Via Uncrate:

Animals

Wes Anderson’s New Movie, Isle of Dogs

September 21, 2017 Animals

We have been awaiting Wes Anderson’s new film for years now, and the first official trailer has just been released. Completed entirely using stop motion, Isle of Dogs takes cues from Fantastic Mr. Fox, and brings animals to life in the quirky, stylized way that only Wes Anderson could. Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs is about a quarantined trash island, where dogs are dropped off to fend for themselves.

With the familiar cast of characters, plus some amazing new ones (Bryan Cranston, for instance), we’re pretty confident that Isle of Dogs is going to live up to Anderson’s great reputation, when it’s released next spring.

Art

Dina Belenko’s Wes Anderson Moments

September 1, 2015 Art

Russian photographer Dina Belenko has a wonderful series of photos that embody the spirit and still-life perfection of Wes Anderson films. These images are artfully arranged, and bring a sense of adventure to the viewer.

Animals

Todd Baxter’s Painterly Photographs

June 2, 2014 Animals

Some fantastic narrative photography by Todd Baxter. His work is often compared to Wes Anderson in its staged perfection. This series is both a bit unnerving and refreshingly different. Via FastCoDesign: