Here's a highly original film, one might even say a never-before-seen one, so much so that Marcel, le Coquillage (with his shoes) blew us away. This film, a cross between animation, mockumentary and comedy, opens in cinemas on June 14, and is one of our favorites of 2023.
The story is that of Marcel, a little shell living in an American house where the residents come and go, because it's a rental. Vacationers come and go, but no one ever notices the little creature, until one day a film director discovers him and decides to make him the hero of a series of videos, to help him perhaps one day find his family.
For a family film, the mockumentary form seems highly audacious. Yet it's a perfect fit for the story of little Marcel and his grandmother Connie, separated from the rest of their shellfish family. It allows us to tackle a wide range of subjects, and it works! Although the little seashells are the only animated beings in this live-action film, Marcel le Coquillage has been nominated for anOscar for Best Animated Feature in 2023, and has met with widespread critical success across the Atlantic.
It's a touching, confusing and strangely dark portrait of this little shellfish with a hard life. We find ourselves moved by his story, which could bring tears to the eyes of the most sensitive. Above all, the feature film by Dean Fleischer-Camp (who directs himself as the documentary's director) is resolutely modern, tackling a number of very contemporary themes: the emptiness of social networks and celebrity, loneliness, aging, the end of life, American immigration and abandonment.
Nevertheless, this is a genuine comedy, often very funny, and the film's messages are barely underlined. The subject matter remains a very subtle backdrop, and Marcel's adventure is the only thing that counts. And what an adventure it is! Like the best Pixar films, it can be enjoyed at any age, and can be learned from in different ways depending on the viewer's maturity.
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