Sage Warner
Guest writer
It is easy to be skeptical before seeing “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.” The movie received a limited release, meaning most of the United States had to watch it after reviews from critics were already out, and it is challenging to reconcile the summary of the movie with its reviews. Critics raved over how emotional and genuine it was—how it was a creative masterpiece. How could a cute little stop-motion movie based on a three-minute YouTube video from 2010 be so moving?
The moment the movie begins, the draw is instantly understandable. The innovations of Marcel, utilizing mixing machines to get fruit, and skating across dusty coffee tables revealed the creativity that filled the film. The documentary filmmaker in the movie, Dean, laughs at the little shell and marvels at his antics. Meanwhile, Marcel is awed by the world that Dean shows him and simultaneously puts him in his place regarding the artist’s avoidance tactics. Marcel is endearing and adorable while also being sharp and sassy.
Nanna Connie, Marcel’s sweet but ailing grandmother, is the most emotionally compelling aspect of the movie. As soon as she is introduced and Marcel describes her memory problems, it is easy to recognize how emotional the film will become. It is easy to see this person with a strong personality and years of wisdom, which plays off of Marcel’s wide-eyed view of the world, but throughout the film, the deterioration as a result of age is also evident.
There is a central plot of Marcel trying to find the rest of his family and his meteoric rise to internet fame, which is also compelling and heart wrenching as the narrative explores loneliness and grief. But the aspect of the show that is the most heartbreakingly real was Nanna Connie and Marcel’s relationship. It is reminiscent of witnessing the increased health issues of a loved one and the struggle of becoming the caretaker of someone who was once supposed to be a guardian. Even as Marcel feels more responsible for protecting Connie, she still wants him to put himself and his mission first, caring for him even while her ability to do so wanes.
No one should underestimate “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.” The power of whimsy, along with the themes of loss and loneliness, is something that will never fail to tap into the emotions of an audience, and it is no wonder it spoke so well to the unfortunately small audience that has been able to see it. The movie walks the line between dramatic and comedic, with Marcel providing dry comedy to the struggling individuals around him, along with himself.
It is sometimes so easy to forget that little personal stories can be just as significant as huge groundbreaking ones, but Marcel shows how the story of a tiny stop-motion shell can become meaningful if there is a genuine story to go along with it.
