A sentient shell enlists the help of a filmmaker to find his family in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Marcel (Jenny Slate) is a talking mollusk shell wearing pink sneakers who is discovered living in a house with her grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini) by filmmaker Dean (Dean Fleischer-Camp). Dean records a series of interviews with Marcel and uploads them to YouTube, with the videos being a huge viral hit. Marcel decides to use this newfound popularity to locate his family, who were accidentally taken away by the house's previous owner Mark (Thomas Mann), following a fight with his ex-girlfriend Larissa (Rosa Salazar).
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a film co-written and directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp, based on his 2010 short films of the same name. The story is a collaboration between Dean, who plays a predominantly off-screen version of himself, and his ex-wife Jenny Slate, who co-written and produced the film while also voicing the titular stop-motion anthropomorphic shell Marcel. The film is portrayed in a documentary style, as Marcel explains how he and his family thrived in the house without the human owners noticing them. However, the viral success of Dean's documentary videos about Marcel allows the shell to be reunited with the rest of his kind.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On began as a series of 3-4 minute shorts uploaded to Dean Fleisher-Camp's YouTube channel. More than a decade later, the feature film version of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On follows the same mockumentary format of the shorts, with their viral success integrated into the film's plot. However, there is now the overarching story of Marcel looking for his missing family, which leads to a chance for him to be interviewed by Lesley Stahl for 60 Minutes. Though, Marcel begins to worry that all this attention is resulting in undue strain on his grandmother Connie.
With its mix of live-action locations and stop-motion animation, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is an adorable and heartwarming film. Jenny Slaight voices Marcel as a very curious yet somewhat sarcastic sentient shell. Slaight has excellent chemistry with Isabella Rossellini as Marcel's grandmother Connie, with Rossellini's Italian accent hilariously explained away by the fact that Connie immigrated years ago from the garage.
Ultimately, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a type of family-friendly film that people of all ages can enjoy.
Trailer for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
