From the Good to the Great: Every Wes Anderson Movie, Ranked

You can spot a Wes Anderson movie from a mile away. The pastel color palette. The perfectly symmetrical shots. Bill Murray, somewhere, sighing dramatically. With 12 feature films directed (and counting), Anderson has a style so distinct that it’s practically its own genre. 

Whether you’ve been a fan since Bottle Rocket (1996) or you’re just discovering Anderson’s latest film, The Phoenician Scheme (2025), we’ve ranked all 12 of his feature films — the whimsical, the weird, and everything in between. 

Wes Anderson Movies Ranked

1. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Meet the Tenenbaums: a family of former child prodigies who peaked early and are now spectacularly falling apart. When their estranged father, Royal (Gene Hackman), fakes a terminal illness to get back into his family’s good graces, the whole eccentric crew reunites under one roof. 

With standout performances from Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, and Bill Murray, The Royal Tenenbaums has all of the dry humor, melancholy, signature color grading, and picture-perfect symmetry we love about Wes Anderson movies. 

Winner of a Golden Globe® for Gene Hackman’s performance and nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay, it’s the film that truly defined Anderson’s signature style — and the one that still stands as his most emotionally resonant work, earning its well-deserved spot at No. 1. 

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson’s first animated feature film feels like the moment his signature style found its perfect match. Adapted from Roald Dahl’s children’s book, Fantastic Mr. Fox trades live action for meticulously handcrafted stop-motion, never losing an ounce of Anderson’s charm or precision. 

Bringing sly wit to the title role, George Clooney is a retired chicken thief who can’t quite let go of his old thrill-seeking ways — much to the dismay of his wife, voiced by Meryl Streep. 

The film is clever, cozy, and impeccably crafted — making it a worthy runner-up on our list. 

Watch: Fantastic Mr. Fox*

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3. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) 

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a candy-colored escape tucked between two dark and dreary European wars. Often revered as Wes Anderson’s most meticulously orchestrated film, it centers around Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) — the hotel’s devoted concierge. He’s framed for murder after inheriting a priceless painting from one of his guests. 

What follows is a fast-paced, sharply written caper filled with pastries, prison breaks, and Anderson’s all-star ensemble, which includes Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, and Adrien Brody. 

Winner of four Academy Awards® and nominated for Best Picture, The Grand Budapest Hotel is both a visual feast and an emotional tale, earning the No. 3 spot on our list of the best Wes Anderson movies. 

4. Rushmore (1998)

Before the success of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, there was Rushmore — the film that first defined Wes Anderson’s singular style: a carefully curated blend of symmetrical framing, deadpan humor, and those signature storybook colors he’s now known for. 

In his film debut, Jason Schwartzman stars as Max Fischer, a precocious daydreamer at a prep school where he’s more interested in staging absurdly ambitious school plays than passing math class. 

Rushmore might be less polished than Anderson’s later films, but that’s part of its charm. It’s scrappy, sincere, and bursting with the creative confidence of a filmmaker coming into their own. With its British Invasion soundtrack, unforgettable red beret, and standout performance from Bill Murray, Rushmore remains one of Anderson’s most beloved cult classics.

5. The French Dispatch (2021) 

The French Dispatch is arguably Wes Anderson at his most indulgent and his most visually captivating. Styled as a love letter to journalism — and to the people consumed by their craft — it unfolds as an anthology of stories from the French bureau of a fictional Kansas magazine. 

Critics often refer to it as one of his most chaotic films, but the effect is endearing. Each scene bursts with elaborate sets, hyper-detailed compositions, and Anderson’s trademark ensemble of familiar faces, including Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jeffrey Wright. 

Often underrated compared to his emotional heavy hitters, The French Dispatch deserves its place in the top five for sheer ambition alone, creating one of the most visually rich experiences in Anderson’s catalog. 

Watch: The French Dispatch*

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6. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Every Wes Anderson film flirts with nostalgia, but Moonrise Kingdom embodies it. Some movie buffs might argue that this is Anderson at his most tender, capturing the wild ache of first love and the bittersweet feeling that lingers long after it’s over — and we’d have to agree. 

In this story, two kids fall in love and run away from their New England island town, sending the entire community into panic mode. Funny and heartfelt, this is a tale about how first love makes the world feel infinite — until reality inevitably hits. 

7. Isle of Dogs (2018)

In a dystopian version of Japan’s future, dogs have been exiled to Trash Island — a bleak punishment that sets the stage for one boy’s search to bring his best friend home. 

The voice cast is as stacked as we’ve come to expect from Anderson, with legends like Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Greta Gerwig, and Jeff Goldblum lending their voices to the film’s exiled pack of canines. 

Isle of Dogs is one of Wes Anderson’s most intricate works, marking his return to stop-motion animation and reminding us that no one brings worlds to life quite like he does. 

Watch: Isle of Dogs*

*Isle of Dogs is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.

8. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Three estranged brothers board a train across India in hopes of reconnecting after their father’s death. In true Wes Anderson fashion, the journey derails almost immediately. 

Starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, The Darjeeling Limited is a step outside of Anderson’s typical style — looser, more reflective, and driven by emotion more than design. 

And no, you’re not imagining things. It’s no coincidence that Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman are in several other Wes Anderson films. Anderson operates like a director at a theater company, returning to the same “family” of actors who intuitively understand his rhythm and tone. Their familiarity gives his films a sense of continuity; when you see these faces, you know you’re watching a Wes Anderson movie. 

Watch: The Darjeeling Limited

9. The Phoenician Scheme (2025) 

A family empire teeters on the edge of collapse after an assassination attempt exposes a labyrinth of secrets and betrayal. Set against a backdrop of decadent art collections and symmetrical estates, The Phoenician Scheme reimagines the family drama trope as a colorful spy caper. 

Anchored by a star-studded cast that includes Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Cera, and Benicio Del Toro, the film doubles down on Anderson’s signature symmetry, saturated colors, and meticulously detailed world building. 

10. Asteroid City (2023)

Somewhere in the desert of 1950s America, a group of young stargazers and their families gather for the annual Asteroid Day celebration to commemorate a meteorite landing site. The celebration takes a turn when an alien drops in to join the fun. 

From there, Asteroid City pulls back the curtain to reveal that the whole thing is actually a play within a television broadcast — a story about storytelling itself. Equal parts desert dreamscape and retro sci-fi spoof, it’s Wes Anderson doing what he does best — building worlds within worlds until you lose track of where the story ends and where the art begins. 

11. Bottle Rocket (1996) 

Believe it or not, Wes Anderson movies weren’t always symmetrical, pastel worlds with star-studded ensembles. Bottle Rocket is Anderson’s debut feature film and the scrappy blueprint for what we now recognize as his signature style. 

The film follows three aimless friends, led by a wildly overconfident dreamer named Dignan (Owen Wilson), as they plan a series of small heists that never quite go according to plan. 

The movie is offbeat and rough around the edges, but that only makes it more attractive. 

12. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) 

Dive headfirst into the absurd with Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Willem Dafoe as a ragtag crew of unqualified ocean explorers set out to hunt down the mythical “Jaguar Shark.”

Blending melancholy with madcap, The Life Aquatic is an offbeat, indie spectacle adorned with matching red beanies. It may wobble loosely between genius and nonsense, but it goes to prove that there’s no mistaking a Wes Anderson adventure — even when it’s underwater.