Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969 in Houston, Texas) is an American film director, writer and producer. He attended St. John's School, a private school in Houston, which was later used as a filming location for Rushmore. Anderson then studied philosophy at the University of Texas, where he met future collaborator Owen Wilson.

A main characteristic of all his films is the complete absence of villains. His characters might be misguided and may cause pain to others but always without malice. He also employs Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh as the composer of his films.

Films directed by Anderson are full of subtleties, and often need to be seen several times in order to be appreciated. Anderson cites his influences as including in particular French New Wave directors such as François Truffaut and Louis Malle, with whom his films share vivid characterization and a tragicomic sensibility: Anderson's films are considered comedies, though they appeal to an acquired sense of humor. Those who acquire this humor are avid fans and look forward to the release of each new film.

Anderson's more recent films, notably The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, have a pageant-like feel. The camera sits stationary in many instances, allowing the audience to study the focus of the scene. The scenes themselves are framed with imaginative images, background characters, and vibrant colors, all of which do nothing to take away from the characters and language.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou marked Anderson's first use of serious special effects, as the creatures of the underwater locales featured in the movie were created through stop-motion animation. His interest in stop-motion animation will emerge into a full-length project, his next film: a claymation adaptation of the Roald Dahl book, Fantastic Mr Fox.

In 2005, Anderson produced The Squid and the Whale, directed by The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou co-writer Noah Baumbach. It garnered two awards at the Sundance Film Festival

Filmography

• Bottle Rocket (short) (1994)
• Bottle Rocket (1996)
• Rushmore (1998)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

External links

• Rushmore Academy - The Films Of Wes Anderson
• Fantastic Mr. Fox entry at IMDB
• The Squid and the Whale entry at IMDB