Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Starring Jenny Slate, Dean Fleischer Camp, Isabella Rossellini, Leslie Stahl

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp

All too often we tend to overlook the small things in life and focus on the big things, the things that seem out of reach, that seem impossible to attain, and the things that we wish we had but know we never will. This leads our emotions to fall to the side of sadness and hopelessness, in a world filled with anger, strife, and isolation, and we see the world with pessimistic eyes. While films nowadays seem to divide more than unite, "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" brings people together by focusing on the joys of the little things in life, while incorporating very adult themes of loss, grief, and loneliness in a way that burrows into your soul and leaves you a better person for it - and an appreciation for the overlooked joys the world has to offer.

While staying at an airbnb after a breakup, documentary filmmaker Dean (Dean Fleischer Camp) discovers something odd - a talking shell with one eye and unique shoes named Marcel (Jenny Slate), living with his grandmother Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini). Seeing this as a unique opportunity to show the world Marcel, Dean creates a documentary focusing on the life of Marcel and his grandmother, discovering that they both have a love of "60 Minutes" and learns that the rest of Marcel's family was accidentally taken when the previous tenants broke up, and he has no idea where they are. He posts videos to YouTube and Marcel becomes an Internet sensation, but learns that his followers are more interested in becoming famous themselves rather than helping Marcel find his family. Still, the attention draws the attention of "60 Minutes" correspondent Leslie Stahl, and despite Marcel's misgivings, decides to do an interview in hopes of finding his family.

Back in 2010, Jenny Slate - a well-known comedian and voice actor - was bored at a wedding and created Marcel the Shell With Shoes On with her friend Dean Fleischer Camp. The two got married themselves and created two shorts on YouTube and a best-selling book featuring the one-inch talking mollusk, with Slate offering the voice, through stop-motion animation. Despite the marriage disintegrating, the two continued their story and the phenomena blew up until the full-length film came out, and it was a breath of fresh air. Instead of focusing on big epic battles and deeply philosophical dramas, "Marcel" shows what the world looks like through the eyes (or, eye) of young Marcel, who has never seen the world outside his small home. Young, innocent, naive, and a bit too overly cautious, Marcel is all too happy to show his world to his new friend Dean and the millions of viewers online, showcasing a unique talent to cope in an abandoned home that was once full of his fellow family members who were accidentally taken from him and his grandmother. Seeing the world through this unique lens really makes you think about life and all the great things it has, the great things that seem so small we overlook them in favor of the bigger dreams that we often fail to ascertain.

Jenny Slate voices Marcel with this innocence and freedom that's infectious and extremely adorable, and you can't help but fall in love with him the moment you see him. He talks about how he has to adapt to get food for two when he once had a community, utilizing strings, forks, and hilariously a tennis ball to get around and get the sustenance that they need, along with his grandmother's epic gardening skills. When he takes off online, he hopes that the people watching will help him find the rest of his family, but learns all too soon that people are out for their own popularity, creating a sense of unease in the mollusk as wannabe influencers bombard his home - proving that while he wants to find his family, he doesn't want to lose the small remaining family he has left. Even when given an opportunity to leave the home and search for his family himself, he's hesitant to leave his grandmother behind.

Isabella Rossellini plays Nana Connie as you'd expect any grandmother would: with a delicate love for her grandson knowing that he has to spread his wings and venture out to the impossibly wide world in order to find what he's looking for. This family dynamic is obvious to anyone who's ever had a loving grandmother, as she dotes over her grandson and pushes him outside his comfort zone in a way that's both equally heartwarming and heartbreaking, knowing that ultimately they'll put the needs of their grandchild over the needs of their own. Rossellini shines, as does Slate, who both give compelling voice work to these stop-motion darlings.

The stop-motion is pitch perfect, and it comes across almost as if these were real life talking mollusks. You can't tell the effects are fake, but brilliantly blend into their real-life surroundings. Their facial expressions showcase tremendous depth even though they don't give too much, but it's just enough to get to your heartstrings. And your heartstrings will be pulled and plucked like its being played by an expert violinist throughout, culminating in a beautiful symphony of the values of family, the innocence of youth, and the adventure that awaits once we let go of our fears and let go to the wild unknown.

As Marcel embarks on his adventure to find his family, he struggles with the fears of losing that which he already has, but knowing that he has to move forward in order to find what's missing in his life. Nana Connie talks about the poem "The Trees" by Philip Larkin, and it's absolutely a microcosm of Marcel's journey: "The signs of newness are also sewn into what has died away. Everything changes all the time. I love being alive, especially in the late spring, when the flowers return again. But you can't enjoy the daffodil without honoring what has died so it can regrow. If you want to really grow, you must be able to know and allow for what change really looks like and feels like."

Filled with heartwarming moments and also infusing your own memories of childhood, "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" is a rare film that will uplift your soul, give you a new perspective of the world, and leave you changed from the inside - reminding you to love those who are closest to you more deeply, and remember those who have gone with a new sincere fondness, all the while supplying you with an endless smile and melancholy tears.

The Score: A+