Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)

Written by CinemaSerf on February 25, 2023

If this doesn't appeal to the inner kid in you, I don't know what will. It's all about the charmingly orange-toed mollusc "Marcel" who is now living with human "Dean" and his grandmother "Connie" (who even has a titchy zimmer-frame) in an house that was previously occupied by a couple. Now it transpires that this pair had a fairly lively relationship and when things started to get a bit hairy, he and his extended family at the time would seek safety in the sock drawer. After one such altercation, though, the contents of that drawer were unceremoniously emptied into a bag leaving "Marcel" in his current, rather lonely, predicament. Every evening he and his granny watch "Sixty Minutes" and it occurs to them that presenter Lesley Stahl might just be able to help the family reunite. What follows now is a thoroughly enjoyable, characterful and engaging little drama that sees "Marcel" - quite a shrewd and quick-witted fella - and "Dean" set about turning his circumstances into a matter of international significance. Question is - well, will it pay off? Of course there is no jeopardy, it's just a fun story - tinged with a touch of tragedy, that elicits feelings of longing, family, loneliness sure, but also of family, optimism and all set in an environment that is ideal for wandering around the walls after you've stuck your tiny feet in honey. I really did enjoy this.