Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Perhaps I was living under a rock or, more likely, watching different parts of YouTube (EpicMealTime comes to mind) but I'd genuinely never heard of "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" before this movie was released. At least not to the extent that I knew it was a YouTube series from many years ago. 

Not an important point at all, but it paints Marcel the Shell With Shoes On in an interesting light. Once a YouTube phenomenon (allegedly), resurrected by beloved indie film company A24, and breathed new life by actress/writer/producer Jenny Slate and director/writer/producer Dean Fleishcer-Camp. It's the A24 piece that is particularly intriguing as something as obscure as this feels right in their wheelhouse, but something as innocent as this does not.

Either way, what's here is a bit of a wonder no matter how you look at it. It's a Honey-I-Shrunk-the-Kids scale mixed with a documentary mixed with stop-motion animation, all hosted by an adorable little shell, named Marcel. 

We're introduced to Marcel and his life right away. He lives in a home that used to be occupied by a human couple and all his family. The human couple has since turned it into an AirBnB and his family tragically disappeared, so Marcel now lives throughout the home with his Grandma Connie. Most of his days are spent using his various contraptions to get them food and water. From the very first moments, the film is precious. As I was purchasing my ticket, a woman in front of me commented: "I hope it's just so cute that I barf." And you know what? It's probably damn close. Marcel is a well written character, confident and very sure of himself on the surface (with a delightfully tiny voice) but as we begin to learn more, you see that he's a very scared boy after the trauma of his family's disappearance. 

That latter part never weighs all that heavy on the film - to its benefit - but there is an ample lesson about positivity and leaning into the things that scare you. These lessons are delivered by his grandma (Isabella Rossellini) and seeing her interactions with Marcel are uplifting, consistently equaling free parenting advice. Marcel is voiced by Jenny Slate who not only does the aforementioned "tiny" voice well, but delivers a thoughtful performance. Marcel is methodical in his speaking and often times contemplative, staring off into the distance. He likes to sing. He's not a fan of dogs (in some of the films best recurring jokes). He's very inventive. He asks a lot of questions (another well-used running joke). Slate is able to make this stop-motion shell with a single eye and two shoes feel like an actual character and combined with good writing, it breathes life into the film. 

Marcel the Shell impresses with its animation and sense of scale. The former is somewhat of a lesser-used art form these days - stop-motion - but it adds a "cuteness" and authenticity factor that would not have been captured the same with a CGI Marcel. Instead we have a "real" Marcel, so to speak, and his animation is fluid, making him come to life on the screen. In relation to his surroundings, he's incredibly small which makes mundane tasks and places in a home feel BIG in a lot of fun ways. The added element of it being a documentary is a fun take too even if it frustrated me that they wouldn't help Marcel do simple tasks (bastards!). 

If I were to have any complaint about the film is that it feels longer than its runtime. At an even and quick 90 minutes, this felt more like something pushing 2 hours. I struggle to think kids will actually stay patient for this one as it has that usual A24 "artsy fartsy" slowness about it. For cinephiles like myself, that's not a bad thing, but for children it may be "boring" without being able to remember all the great parts. 

BUT HOW TO THE SHOES STAY ON?

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a delightful palette cleanser among all the sci-fi/superhero TV and films as of late. It's simple, funny (never out loud, but there are some solid bits), and touching all in a short and sweet package. That it's the resurrection of a previous YouTube star seems irrelevant because this is better than anything that series likely did. 

CONS

• Not necessarily a Con, but I often put it here if something is a one-time view. I wouldn't need to watch this again
• Might be too slow for the targeted audience. Feels longer than its runtime
• Sometimes I found the documentary angle frustrating
• Forgettable original score

PROS

• Central performance from Slate is both cute and touching. She's able to make Marcel relatable, funny, and real
• Unique blend of A24-"ness", a documentary, stop-motion animation, and a few life lessons along the way
• Subtly incredible animation. Marcel and the world around him are fully realized and CGI would not have been able to do the same thing
• Definitely funny. Jokes may be few and far between, but the recurring ones in particular are on point
• Short and sweet

Rath's Review Score | 8/10