Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative styles,[1] and frequent use of ensemble casts, critics have cited Anderson as an auteur.

[4] Later works include his second stop-motion film, Isle of Dogs (2018), earning him the Silver Bear for Best Director and another Best Animated Feature nomination,[5] followed by The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023).

Anderson won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023).

[13] As a child, Anderson made silent films on his father's Super 8 camera, which starred his brothers and friends, although his first ambition was to be a writer.

[10][11] Anderson worked part-time as a cinema projectionist at Hogg Memorial Auditorium[14] while attending the University of Texas at Austin, where he met his roommate[15] and future collaborator Owen Wilson in 1989.

The film focuses on a successful, artistic New York City family and its ostracized patriarch, played by Gene Hackman.

[24] Anderson's next feature was The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), about a Jacques Cousteau-esque documentary filmmaker played by Bill Murray.

The film also stars Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and Michael Gambon.

It is a classic example of Anderson's style, but its critical reception was less favorable than his previous films', and its box office did not match the heights of The Royal Tenenbaums.

It reflects the more dramatic tone of The Royal Tenenbaums but faced criticism similar to those of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

[28] In 2009, Anderson's stop-motion-animated film adaptation based on the Roald Dahl book Fantastic Mr Fox was released.

Its voice actors include Murray, Dafoe, Schwartzman, Brody, Gambon, Owen Wilson, George Clooney, and Meryl Streep.

Critics praised it highly and it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, although it barely made back its production budget.

It includes ensemble performances by Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton.

[30] It is mostly set in the 1930s and follows the adventures of M. Gustave, the hotel's concierge, making "a marvelous mockery of history, turning its horrors into a series of graceful jokes and mischievous gestures", according to The New York Times.

[41] Much of the film was shot in the Spanish city of Chinchón, where a huge diorama set reproducing Monument Valley was constructed.

[42][43] The film stars Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Hope Davis, and Jeffrey Wright, among others.

Anderson's cinematic influences include Woody Allen,[52] Pedro Almodóvar,[53] Satyajit Ray,[26] Hal Ashby,[54] and Roman Polanski.

[61] Some have noted many similarities between much of Anderson's work and the 1984 film The Hotel New Hampshire, a quirky and eccentric comedy-drama written and directed by Tony Richardson which featured an ensemble cast including Jodie Foster, Beau Bridges, Rob Lowe, Nastassja Kinski, Amanda Plummer, Matthew Modine, and Seth Green in his film debut.

[62] The Soviet comedy movie Welcome, or No Trespassing by Elem Klimov (1964) has been pointed out as one major source of inspiration for Wes Anderson, specifically its “camera work, storytelling devices, and charming whimsy".

[67] Anderson's work has been classified as postmodern, on account of his nostalgic attention to detail, his subversion of mainstream conventions of narrative, his references to different genres in the same film, and his love for eccentric characters with complex sexual identities.

[68][69] Anderson has mostly directed fast-paced comedies marked by more serious or melancholic elements, with themes often centered on grief, loss of innocence, dysfunctional families, parental abandonment, adultery, sibling rivalry and unlikely friendships.

[72] According to Alex Buono,[73] Anderson has been noted for extensive use of flat space camera moves (pans, tilts, and zooms within scenes that look two-dimensional),[74] symmetrical compositions, snap-zooms (rapid, shakey zooms onto subjects),[75] slow-motion walking shots, a deliberately limited color palette, and handmade art direction often using miniatures.

These stylistic choices give his movies a distinctive quality that has provoked much discussion, critical study, supercuts, mash-ups, and parody.

Rushmore prominently featured Cat Stevens and British Invasion groups; The Royal Tenenbaums featured Nico; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, David Bowie, including both originals and covers performed by Seu Jorge; The Darjeeling Limited and Rushmore, the Kinks; Fantastic Mr. Fox, the Beach Boys; and Moonrise Kingdom, Hank Williams.

[81] Anderson's films feature many recurring actors, including the Wilson brothers (Owen, Luke, and Andrew), Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Bob Balaban, Tony Revolori, and Tilda Swinton.

[85] Anderson is in a romantic relationship with Lebanese writer, costume designer, and voice actress Juman Malouf,[86][87] the daughter of novelist Hanan al-Shaykh.