The strange, award-winning shorts are expanded into a feature in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, the latest from director/co-writer Dean Fleischer-Camp.
The shorts, which are still available on YouTube, follow exactly who the title describes: an anthropomorphic shell with feet and one googly eye. The minuscule character contains big thoughts and dreams, though, and in this movie, he goes searching for his family. The documentarian that prompted Marcel’s musings in the shorts comes along, too, because I guess you need a rational explanation for a film about a talking shell.
The bizarre concept became a hit thanks to spot-on voice work from Jenny Slate and meticulous, adorable stop-motional animation. Slate and Fleischer-Camp co-wrote the shorts together and added Nick Paley to round out the feature script.
Despite the success of the shorts, a feature-length project seemed like a risk for the beloved little shell, whose essential goodness must find enough drama to bump against to fill out an entire film. Reactions to its festival run should quell any concerns fans have, though, with critical adoration pouring out for this truly bizarre project.
If you’re one of those people searching for original ideas in our IP-centric film landscape, look no further than the walking, talking shell that could.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and stars Jenny Slate, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, and Isabella Rossellini. It will be released in the US on June 24th, 2022. Further release dates are not currently known.
Will you join in on Marcel’s adventure? Let us know in the comments!
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