Wes Anderson exhibition in London. It's worth the trip. : Annie Elliott Design

I’m not kidding, Gentle Readers. If you’re as big a Wes Anderson fan as my family is (or, as they say in England, “as my family are”), you can’t miss it. It’s at The Design Museum in London. But don’t let that stop you.

Exhibition with red walls and white text

To catch you up, Wes Anderson is an American director of quirky, highly stylized films. They include Rushmore (1998 — John’s and my first date!),

Movie costumes on display in front of a red curtain

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001),

and Fantasic Mr. Fox (2009), a stop-motion film with the characters voiced by Meryl Streep, George Clooney, and other people you’ve totally heard of.

Furry models of foxes and a an opossum wearing clothes

If you’re really a fan, you will have seen Anderson’s first movie, Bottle Rocket (1996), starring his best friends Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson. Before they were, you know, who they are.

Black and white photographs hung on a red wall

ANYWAY, this is a design blog, so I went into the exhibition with an eye towards sets and locations.

Pen and ink drawing of a large pink building — For *The Grand Budapest Hotel*

Man standing in front of a large-scale model of a grand, symmetrical pink building — For *The Grand Budapest Hotel*

But I can’t write only about the sets. The films are too tightly constructed. The settings and sets, costumes, props, dialogue…it’s the combo that makes them so stylish.

Checkbook and pen laid on a red surface — From *The Royal Tenenbaums*. Side note: Anjelica Huston as Etheline appears in a blog post I wrote about the iconic Zebras wallpaper in the Tenenbaum mansion.

Every single item in every single scene has been carefully created or chosen. That’s one reason the exhibition was so fun. Many of these things wouldn’t register on screen, but the cast and crew knew they were there. They’re in-jokes.

Watercolor book jacket of a children's book — *Moonrise Kingdom*

Magazine covers on a red surface — *The Royal Tenenbaums*

Details like these indicate intentionality and thoughtfulness. A commitment to the artistic vision.

A boy scout costume and pink girl's coat on display — *Moonrise Kingdom*

Here’s a great example from Moonrise Kingdom. (My picture was terrible, so this is from the film.)

Letter on pink paper written in a child's cursive handwriting

To get the handwriting exactly as he wanted it, Anderson had students from a Catholic girls’ school write this note, and then he selected one. AI says that’s not true, but I saw the exhibition label, so screw you, Gemini. (I just didn’t take a picture of said label. You’ll just have to take my word for it.)