Over a decade ago, a curious little film was released – the title was Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and (as the title suggests) centres on an anthropomorphic shell on his daily adventures. In subsequent years, a couple of sequels were released, each one beautifully made and just as endearing. The shorts were the product of Jenny Slate and her friend Dean Fleischer-Camp, who lovingly crafted these charming segments, using a combination of stop-motion animation and live-action photography. Several years later, we have once again been invited to step into the world of Marcel, this time on a much grander scale, with the adorable shell making his feature-length debut in a film that is nothing short of an absolute delight. The team behind the original short films reunited to bring Marcel to the big screen, with Slate and Fleischer-Camp enlisting the help of a few additional artists to help give this charming character the cinematic treatment, and the results are truly exquisite. Somehow, through the process of taking this bizarre concept and infusing it with the right amount of emotion and humour, the film manages to be so much more intriguing than a cursory glance would suggest. Looking at Marcel’s journey of self-discovery, set to a story of our young but resilient protagonist going in search of his family, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On manages to be a true gem of a film, one that we can all agree is the kind of unifying project that is well worth every minute of our time.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a film propelled by nothing but a combination of ambition and genuine fondness for the material. Slate has spoken sporadically about how the Marcel short films were very close to her heart, which led to expanding the character into his full-length film, a clear indication of the passion he felt for the project. This film was certainly not an easy undertaking, especially since there is an abundance of detail embedded in the process that is not obvious to those who may not be aware of how such a project comes to fruition. Whatever compelled them to take these short segments and expand on them without deviating from the tone or general approach taken previously (which would have been a fatal mistake – the simplicity of the original episodes were part of their enormous success) remains to be seen, but there’s very little doubt that what we saw here was nothing short of astonishing, and all credit must go to those responsible for putting in the effort to taking this little shell and putting him on as big a screen as possible. Their work is doubly impressive considering how we’ve seen countless characters receive feature-length films, with only a small handful being that effective – and whether those original shorts were just small-scale rehearsals done to gauge public interest in a full-length film, or if Marcel the Shell with Shoes On just came about organically as a result of revisiting the character and deciding to take a risk by giving him his film, there’s very little doubt that what Slate and Fleischer-Camp did here is deeply effective.

We all have different interpretations of what makes a good film, and particularly the signs that something contains a strong story, and that the execution is worthwhile. This is particularly notable when it comes to something like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which contains a story that borders on absurd, yet we never question its plausibility for even a moment, since there is something so poignant about how it is crafted. It’s not even necessary to suspend disbelief, since everything about this film is so wonderfully endearing, we genuinely believe everything we are seeing on screen without even a moment’s hesitation. This is a strong indicator of exceptional filmmaking and extraordinary storytelling, which proves how passionate Slate and Fleischer-Camp were in putting this film together. It’s not likely that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is going to break records or be anything close to revolutionary, but its sincere heartfulness points towards the fact that this is the kind of film that borders on essential, not necessarily for what it says, but how it goes about disseminating its message. There’s a quiet joy to this film, which is contrasted with a deep melancholy, a sadness that pulsates throughout the film, but the oddly motivational kind. The film is not afraid to touch on slightly deeper issues, such as those of loneliness and the fear of abandonment, granted that it knows how to use these more downbeat ideas to be even more life-affirming. It’s a film that invites us to find joy in the more complicated parts of life, and for that reason alone, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a film that is fully aware of the responsibility it has to try and change the way we see the world, which it does without much hesitation, more reason to celebrate this charming film.

Ultimately, it all goes back to the fact that emotion, more than anything else, is a film’s most powerful tool, especially one working from an undeniably entertaining concept, but also very thin in terms of actual plot development. This is not a slight on Marcel the Shell with Shoes On or its narrative, which is as delightful as it can be, but rather solidly in support of the fact that a work of art doesn’t need to be brimming with the most high-concept storytelling to be considered effective. Instead, the most appropriate technique would just be to ensure that everything feels authentic and that there is a meaning to every scene – for a film that is essentially a long monologue interspersed with interactions with other characters, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is very careful with what it says, making sure that every moment is carefully constructed to convey the right amount of emotion, without being heavy-handed. This is where the simplicity of the film works, since there is very little need to become overwrought when you immediately establish that the film is going to be straightforward and unfurnished, with all the emotion coming from the small, intricate details. The film knows exactly how to temper itself to not be too overly excessive, and throughout the story, we are privy to some deeply emotional moments that feel genuine, rather than forced. It’s an approach that works well and allows Marcel the Shell with Shoes On to touch on some deep themes without feeling overly depressing, maintaining a level of outrageous humour that works exceptionally well.

The best way to describe Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is as a warm hug of a film – perhaps this is a bit too cliched and slightly informal, but it is undeniably the most accurate way to summarize the experience of spending these 90 delightful minutes with this charming character and the ragtag group of companions he encounters along the way. The voice work is impeccable (particularly from Slate and Isabella Rossellini, who has masterfully weaponized her incredible voice in recent years), and the style of the film is extremely simple, but also undeniably effective, especially in the more impactful moments, where it often reaches a beautiful emotional crescendo that leaves us in a state of absolute euphoria. Far from revolutionary, but a film that has its heart in the right place, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a wonderfully immersive journey into the life of the most unexpected of protagonists, and a film that is likely to be endearing to every viewer, with its pure outlook and sincere compassion for the surrounding world being exactly the kind of story we need in a world driven to the point of insanity. It’s beautiful, poetic and wildly funny, and knows exactly how to hold the audience in the palm of its delicate hands – and throughout the film, we find ourselves gleefully lost in this version of the world, voyaging through life with this quaint little protagonist as our guide – and there’s certainly few better ways to spend your time.