Direction: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Country: USA
The central character in this witty animated fiction in the guise of a documentary is the gorgeous Marcel (voice by Jenny Slate), a little-bigger-than-a-pee shell who lives with his aging grandmother Nana Connie (voice by Isabella Rossellini) in a house listed on Airbnb. The director Dean Fleischer-Camp moves into the house and finds this conversational little creature who likes to sing, sleeps on a slice of bread, loves to work out on top of a spinning vinyl, takes care of a dog named Alan, and really misses his family and friends, who suddenly vanished after the couple who lived there moved out.
Being a documentarian, Dean starts to film Marcel’s routines and the little shell becomes so popular on the internet that television journalist Lesley Stahl from CBS’s program 60 minutes wants to interview him. Whereas Nana Connie is immensely happy with the idea, Marcel has his doubts about taking such risks. But that’s the only option he has in order to find his family.
The successful project took approximately 7 years to be concluded, with Fleischer-Camp working closely with Slate, his ex-wife, to accomplish his first feature. They found the perfect tone to pull the strings of this skillfully produced fairy tale where the prowess of technology intersects with the simplicity of the story. Overflowing with naturalistic dialogues, this touching and comical film also presents cheerfully colored images and an unremitting low pressure in the narrative that contributes to the tenderness of the outcome.
Marcel’s ability to express deep feelings is sure to melt the hearts of young and old folks alike.
