Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker here, and today, it is time to talk about something very unexpected, given that this movie is very difficult to find. I was going to cover Mummies today, but I just found out we had to make a quick detour because this imaginary ship we are on had some technical issues. Now that we stopped by at a nearby island to repair the ship, we somehow discovered this gem that was very difficult to find, so now, it’s now time we talked about it.
Based on a series of YouTube shorts by creator Dean Fleischer Camp and voice actress Jenny Slate (aka Dawn Bellweather from Zootopia), it stars Slate as the titular talking shell who lives at an Airbnb with his grandmother Connie, who were left behind after a tragedy separated them from their community of other talking shells. One day, when Camp moved into the Airbnb and discovered Marcel, the short films he created brings in millions of fans and a new hope of Marcel and Connie being able to reunite with their shell community.
This is an animated movie with an extremely small distribution, being only distributed in certain festivals and in North America. Hence, because I was unable to get it easily compared to other animated movies, I had to resort to other means, but I stumbled upon it by accident. So now, let us take an unexpected detour to reunite Marcel with his family once and for all!
Key Information
- Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
- Animation Studios: A24 (distributor), Team VFX Artist, Allied/Beast, Bottleship VFX
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 24 June 2022 (United States and Canada)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
Before I get to the story, it is important to have a look at the Marcel shorts (uploaded by Fleischer himself), which gives an impression of what was to come in the actual movie. Personally, these shorts are simple, but sweet. The same could be said for the movie, but on a larger scale.
While there is a familiar sense of adventure in this movie, as with most of the other recent animated movies, the difference is that Camp and his team produced it in a mockumentary style, involving Marcel and Camp, who stumbled upon the talking shell in the Airbnb. Capturing the life of the talking shell and his grandmother Connie this way allows us to connect with them closely, and every moment of them makes us understand who they are, even if talking shells with shoes come across as weird at first. However, once at the end, you will begin to appreciate their way of life more and how Marcel and Connie learn to handle the grief of being separated from their community.
It’s also refreshing to have the focal point about the perils of being viral online, especially with the real-life Marcel shorts. This is so when Marcel, Connie and Camp got invited to a 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl. It shows how social media is not all bad, especially with some recent movies emphasizing the dangers of it.
Getting to the characters, Marcel (voiced by Slate) may be one of the cutest animated movie protagonists, yet one of the most poignant. Following the daily life of Marcel in the Airbnb he was stuck in, Marcel is one very cute and likeable protagonist who has to fend for himself after the separation, spending time in the Airbnb like a child curious about the world. However, he also turned out to be very mature, being able to fend for himself when threatened, especially during the time before the separation where he was with that community. His views on the world are very reflective of the little things in life we sometimes miss every day, and make us root for him throughout the movie, unlike some whiny, immature animated movie protagonists in lower quality animated movies.
It also helped that Marcel’s grandmother, Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini), is another sweet supporting character. Old but resourceful, she is the only relative with Marcel after the separation, and warms out hearts as she helped to take care of Marcel despite her old age. Fleischer, who filmed Marcel and was off-camera for most of the movie, acts as us, the moviegoers, as he recorded the everyday life of the talking shell, enjoying every moment with him just like when he produced the real shorts that would later became popular on YouTube.
We are seeing more recent movies with simple plots that are more than meets the eye such as Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be, and with a well-written script and endearing characters, Marcel is yet another great example to show that simple but effective plots are a good way to go in 2023.
Animation
Before Marcel, there was a certain animated series that I need to mention, which is a rather obscure animated series called Minuscule. Minuscule is a French silent animated shorts series depicting everyday lives of insects in a forest interacting with the real world. The series, as well as the two movies it will spawn (Valley of the Lost Ants and Mandibles from Far Away), combines live-action with 3D CG animation expertly. The same can apply to Marcel, except it is live action with stop-motion, which admittedly can be tricky to pull off when the environment is an entire house rather than a small set.
That was why the animation made me speechless. It is extremely difficult to combine live-action footage with stop-motion animation as the filmmaking team in charge of the live-action footage had to take note of every minute detail of the footage, and how they can leverage it with the animation because if even one tiny detail of the live-action footage or the stop-motion animation is off, the illusion will be broken. It is not that the crew pulled off this feat, it was that they made this with a relatively smaller budget than most blockbuster animated movies that makes Marcel’s animation standing out.
I also adore the character designs, which are simple yet unique. I had been tired of animated movies with terrible character designs, or complex-looking characters that look flat, which was why this was again a delightful change after adoring the simplistic designs of Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be. It just added another layer of charm to this already charming movie.
It might be the most difficult animated movie to produce in the 2020s so far (maybe until Deep Sea, a Chinese animated movie I am so looking to), but the amount of effort and precision put into it pays dividends.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and level of Enjoyment
Disasterpeace composed the score and with the movie already exceeding expectations in terms of the writing and the animation, there is no need to have an out-of-this-world score and sure, the score may be overshadowed by the other elements of the movie, but it is a calming score that plays well with the low-key tone of the movie.
In addition, given that Slate and Camp used to be a couple, it would be a challenge for them to reunite to work on a movie they shared, but thankfully, it seems they set aside their difference and produce the best quality animated movie they could ever dream of. Also, this movie also utilises 3D printing for the shells, which was rather ground-breaking.
As for my level of enjoyment, let me say how fortunate I am in being able to find a copy of that movie, even if it means searching it through ways I would not recommend. Finally, all the effort paid off as throughout the movie, I was endearing towards this movie’s low-key charm, which is a rarity from the bombastic and colourful world of animated movies I am exposed to. Marcel put me in a great mood as I was enjoying Marcel’s entire journey.
Conclusion
I never thought a talking shell would not only make me speechless but also made me reflect on the limitless potential in animation.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a unique experience, and one that breaks new ground into showcasing what defines an animated movie. This documentary-style stop-motion movie combines tight and emotional writing with well-thought and memorable characters, a quirky soundtrack that works like a charm and some ground-breaking stop-motion that would be very difficult to replicate. This is a one-of-a-kind animated movie experience not to miss out, even if that means going all out to finding it because it was very difficult to get hold of this beloved movie about a talking shell.
Thank you so much for joining me on this unexpected detour to this buried treasure. It would not be long before the repairs for our ship are complete, and we will continue to travel to the hidden world of living mummies. I hope we are not too late for their celebration-
*Phone rings*
“Hello?” Oh, it’s my Mum. “Yes, Mum. Uh huh. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I’m fixing my ship at a nearby island. Yes, Mum, I’ll be coming back. Alright, I’ll see you Mum. Bye!”
Well, it appears that Mummies adventure has to wait. Luckily, from the invitation card they sent me, it seems their celebration will only come next week, so at least I can get to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family first before heading to the world of mummies.
To my Chinese viewers, I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year as well. I will see on the next part of our adventure, and until then, k thanks bye! 恭喜发财!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
