Even Wes Anderson can’t avoid the allure of parodying Wes Anderson.
    In the way Benjamin Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” breaks down the component pieces of a symphony, “Moonrise Kingdom” pares down the quirk and twee expected from Anderson to an almost primal level. Its stylings are simple yet satisfying.

    In as much as Anderson’s characters often exist on their own proverbial islands (Max Fischer’s schoolyard kingdom in “Rushmore” and Steve Zissou’s almost-cultish crew in “The Life Acquatic” come to mind), this film makes it literal with a bearded narrator (Bob Balaban) guiding us through the Atlantic haven of New Penzance, where young Sam and Suzy (played respectively by newcomers Jared Gilmore and Kara Hayward) have snuck off together to the concern of the island’s adults, including:
    — Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton), who takes his troop of Khaki Scouts as serious as any man can;
    — Capt. Sharp (Bruce Willis), the island’s lone police officer and a sympathetic soul toward Sam’s quest;
    — And Walt and Laura Bishop (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), who seem to be lawyers first and foremost and and parents to Suzy and their trio of sons second.
    Anderson’s never had trouble extracting top-notch performances from young actors (including Jason Schwartzman, who shows up in “Moonrise Kingdom” as a scout leader ready to lend a hand to the young couple as they make a run from their previous lives and the troubles that only a young teen knows). Gilman and Hayward are tasked with carrying this film through their characters’ escape from normalcy through their budding romance, and they do so with an innocence that’s rarely been seen in Anderson’s work.    That’s the crowning achievement in a film that could otherwise be seen as a beginner’s guide to the director.
    As Suzy reads a book to Sam and his fellow Khaki Scouts around a campfire (not unlike Wendy with Peter Pan and his Lost Boys), the theme of “Moonrise Kingdom” is clear: The dreams of childhood (or, in Anderson’s case, his signature filmmaking ways) stay alive as long as you keep them nourished.
    
“Moonrise Kingdom” is rated PG-13 for smoking and sexual content. Three and a half stars out of four.