Demonic pink eyes glowed in the darkness. Marcel offered an ointment for pink-eye, and it was hungrily grabbed from his hand and squirted violently into the monster’s eyes. The monster was … a ladybug.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), despite the date given to the film, is currently in theatrical release. This is your archetypal whimsical film in which documentary film maker Dean meets and documents the life of Marcel, a young, even child, shell creature, perhaps an inch tall. He and his grandmother live in a human house that Dean has rented, and they describe for Dean the life of a shell creature in this house, a creature akin to hermit crabs I’d say. From gathering food, to play, to watching 60 Minutes on the television, they seem have their own version of a full life.
But Marcel’s parents and, indeed, extended family disappeared when the previous human inhabitants had a fight and moved out, inadvertently taking most of the shell family with them. Marcel is devastated, yet firmly in control, caring for his Nanny. Dean represents an opportunity that Marcel doesn’t immediately recognize, but when Dean pre-releases parts of his documentary and attracts unexpected attention, Marcel realizes that perhaps he can search for his family via the Internet.
This leads to celebrity and all that implies – and then even more.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On has some problems with the audio, or perhaps the theatre we visited did. As we were the only patrons on a Friday afternoon, it wasn’t a problem with other customers. The stop-action and computer-generated affects, however, were nearly faultless to my eye, though, and very appropriate to the subject. Please excuse the joke.
The charm does wear thin after a while, but the film does not extend too far beyond this point, and can be excused. A fun and witty show, it’s worth your time if you need a bit of gentleness in your life.
Recommended.
