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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

★★★★½ — Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On grew out of a series of short films that Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer Camp posted online between 2010 and 2014, each running only a few minutes and shot on a DSLR camera. Those shorts built a quiet but devoted following, and the decision to expand the concept to feature length took the better part of a decade to realise. Fleischer Camp, a short film and music video director with no previous feature to his name, used a mockumentary format that blends stop-motion animation with live-action footage, giving the finished film an unusually handmade, lo-fi texture for something that eventually secured a theatrical release through A24. Isabella Rossellini, lending her voice to Marcel's grandmother Connie, was something of a coup for a production of this modest scale.

There was a tampon at the end. This film was honest. It was a genuinely beautiful and touching story of dealing with loss, grief and change. The voice acting for Marcel was absolutely perfect and the way Dean the filmmaker interacted with Marcel at times makes you genuinely forget you're watching a film about a one inch tall shell with shoes on... and not a documentary. Highly recommended for all ages

Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 2021 | Watched: 2025-04-17

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Where to watch (UK)

Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK

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