Four featurettes for director Wes Anderson’s forthcoming Moonrise Kingdom have made it to the web.  And like everything Anderson is involved with, they’re nothing if not peculiar.  Each clip focuses in on one of Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and the director himself.  And each is hosted by fellow cast member Bob Balaban, who comments on amusing behind-the-scenes footage of his subjects, exuding Anderson’s trademark oblique humor to parody the overly-earnest educational reels from the '50s and '60s. Example: “Edward’s a natural leader,” he proclaims.  “Here he is sticking a pencil in the mouth of a khaki scout.”  Needless to say, they’re both delightful and informative.

Hit the jump to check them out.  Set in 1965, on the fictional New Panzance Island, Moonrise Kingdom finds a pair of 12 year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) falling in love and disappearing together into the wilderness.  A group of oddball authority figures, including Willis, Norton, Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Jason Schwartzman pull out all the stops to find them before a massive storm hits. It arrives in theatres on May 25.

Bill Murray

Bruce Willis

Edward Norton

Wes Anderson

Here’s the official synopsis for Moonrise Kingdom:

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Moonrise Kingdom is the new movie directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal TenenbaumsFantastic Mr. FoxRushmore).

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdomtells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban; and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl.

A Focus Features and Indian Paintbrush presentation of an American Empirical Picture .Moonrise Kingdom. Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton. With Jason Schwartzman and Bob Balaban. Introducing Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. Casting by Douglas Aibel. Associate Producer, Octavia Peissel. Co-Producers, Molly Cooper, Lila Yacoub. Costume Designer, Kasia Walicka Maimone. Khaki Scout Marches by Mark Mothersbaugh, Performed by Peter Jarvis and his Drum Corps. Original Music by Alexandre Desplat. Music Supervisor, Randall Poster. Editor, Andrew Weisblum, ACE. Production Designer, Adam Stockhausen. Director of Photography, Robert Yeoman, ASC. Executive Producers, Sam Hoffman, Mark Roybal. Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson. Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola. Directed by Wes Anderson. A Focus Features Release.

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