That weird film you heard mentioned at this year’s Golden Globes is about to get a lot more familiar as My Life as a Zucchini is expected to be a frequent awards contender. Switzerland submitted it as their official entry in the Oscars Foreign Language category, and it has a good chance of being one of the five nominees for Animated Feature.
The stop motion film isn’t actually about a zucchini, of course (although a good film about a zucchini would be quite a feat). Instead, it follows a young orphan as he enters a children’s home in France.
There’s natural drama to be found in a group of lonely kids, but My Life as a Zucchini’s bright trailer indicates that it won’t be a pity party. The characters and their world are presented in impressionistic pastels, and their insecure lives promise to bring ups with the downs.
In a bit of an unusual turn for a family film, Zucchini has competed in general competition (not just in family or animated categories) at several major film festivals. These showings have amassed a euphoric outpouring from critics and audiences, and the film currently boasts a Metacritic rating of 85 and an IMDB rating of 8. If that reaction is any indication, then My Life as a Zucchini may take off on release.
My Life as a Zucchini is directed by Claude Barras and stars Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, and Paulin Jaccoud. It will be released in the U.S. on February 24, 2017 and in the U.K. on May 5th, 2017. For international release dates, click here.
Are you interested in seeing this pastel story or would you rather see a movie about an actual zucchini? Let us know in the comments!
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