Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

What would you do, in an Airbnb for you, where you thought you were alone, until a tennis ball did roam; then appears a little shell, puts you under his cute spell, seems he's been left and deserted, though he's charming and assertive; has the place all to himself, alongside Connie and her shelf, there was once a bigger throng, for unknown reasons they've all gone; so you start to record moves, capture chats and he approves, publish them for all to see, where they're gobbled up with glee; before you know it he's a star, people travel from afar, the search begins for family, does he find them - watch the movie.

An endearingly told tale about a shell called Marcel.

What a charming little film.

For a film about a shell it felt incredibly human! It was very relatable to the human experience, it even made me shed a tear. This movie just had no business being this good. It was darling! Just a very sweet lighthearted funny film that touch the soul in a different way! This movie accomplished something emotionally that most "human" movies fail to do! I'm speaking about humans like I'm an alien in this review... I am also a person.

Great stuff. Great look. Great vibes. Great sound.

No yeah really the soundtrack was actually very good! Super good score for some reason.

Touching and cute, and surprisingly, didn't feel padded out to stretch it to feature length. Both Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini created characters whom you care about.

I did have some trouble understanding some of the words Marcel was saying, not a problem I've ever had with Jenny Slate in her other movies. It might have been the sound system in the theater; other people had the same problem.

If you are at all whimsy-tolerant, this is a move worth seeing.

That almost says it all--though I admit I was actually fairly invested in the documentary-making bachelor, as well.

I'm not sure what I was expecting heading into a movie like this, but what I got was a lovely, tight story about companionship, loss, and the importance of meaningful connections. It all felt pretty magical, to be honest, and I was in a pretty grumpy mood going in.

Highly recommended.

My cold, black, cynical core was absolutely melted by this adorable story. Given this, I believe it is truly impossible to watch this film and still hold negativity in your soul by the time the credits roll.

Jaw-droppingly fluid stop-motion animation adds such a vibrant life to the world of Marcel the shell and his grandmother. It feels lived-in, yet at the same time, lonely, and this production design adds a great deal to Marcel's emotional journey.

The comedy is constant and absolutely spectacular. The witty dialogue takes jabs at the oddities of both human and "shell" behavior, but also often carries a surprisingly poignant depth that I did not expect.

Marcel's world is small, and thus the things he finds joy in are small. I don't think I have ever seen a film so effectively portray the beauty of the "little things" in life.

This is a film with such a pervasive sense of gratitude for the gift of life-for the gift of opportunities to change, progress, and grow that we are often presented with in this life. It's a story about family and the necessity of the simple sharing of experiences with other people.

Coming out of the theater, I felt such a profound sense of love for the people around me and for the beautiful things both natural and man-made in this world. And if giving someone a feeling like that isn't the mark of a master artist, I don't know what is.

It's a masterpiece of creativity and simplicity. It's one of the best films of the year.