Title: Accidentally Wes Anderson
Author: Wally Koval
Type: Nonfiction
Publisher: Voracious
(Hachette Book Group)
Date published: October 20, 2020

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A visual adventure of Wes Anderson proportions, authorized by the legendary filmmaker himself: stunning photographs of real-life places that seem plucked from the just-so world of his films, presented with fascinating human stories behind each façade.

Accidentally Wes Anderson began as a personal travel bucket list, a catalog of visually striking and historically unique destinations that capture the imagined worlds of Wes Anderson. Now, inspired by a community of more than one million Adventurers, Accidentally Wes Anderson tells the stories behind more than 200 of the most beautiful, idiosyncratic, and interesting places on Earth. This book, authorized by Wes Anderson himself, travels to every continent and into your own backyard to identify quirky landmarks and undiscovered gems: places you may have passed by, some you always wanted to explore, and many you never knew existed. Fueled by a vision for distinctive design, stunning photography, and unexpected narratives, Accidentally Wes Anderson is a passport to inspiration and adventure. Perfect for modern travelers and fans of Wes Anderson’s distinctive aesthetic, this is an invitation to look at your world through a different lens.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I remember seeing trailers for Fantastic Mr. Fox floating around back before it was released and having no interest to watch it. Luckily, some months after its release, my sister convinced me to rent a copy (I forget if it was DVD or VHS haha) and watch it with her…and I fell in love! I loved the characters, the atmosphere, the story, the colours, everything! It’s one of my favourite movies, and this reminds me that I’ve been planning to re-watch it this year.

I never ended up watching Moonrise Kingdom for some reason (and will be watching that this year as well), but jumped at the opportunity to watch The Grand Budapest Hotel (another I’ll be re-watching…let me know if you’d like some film reviews for these by the way)! If you were to ask me to choose between Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, I wouldn’t know what to say! If I had to choose my favourite part of about these movies, it would be a tie between the satirical and whimsical atmosphere and the visuals.

And said visuals are why I decided to request a copy of Accidentally Wes Anderson to read and review. That, and I love coffee table books like this! The images in this book are not from Wes Anderson movies, but rather from placed around the world, particular sights and scenes that, as the synopsis states, “capture the imagined worlds of Wes Anderson.” (Sorry I couldn’t think of a way to say it differently.) And now, having seen the images in Accidentally Wes Anderson, there’s no other way that I could describe them.

They fully embody that colour and whimsy that I enjoy so much in my favourite Wes Anderson movies. I also think that the timing of this book’s publication couldn’t be more perfect as it transports readers all over the globe even though they are stuck at home due to the pandemic! I personally thoroughly enjoyed being taken from continent to continent with this book and also loved to read about the history of significance of each photo. I highly recommend!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Wally Koval founded the @AccidentallyWesAnderson community on Instagram in 2017, and it has since grown to more than one million Adventurers. Wally curates and publishes daily content with the help of his wife, Amanda, and their dog, Dexter, in Brooklyn, New York. To discover your next adventure or share your favorite photo, visit AccidentallyWesAnderson.com.

⤖ Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS!