There is a fine line between cute and cutesy. Cute is a video of a puppy. Cutesy is that same video with a baby talk soundtrack. Cute is a family photo. Cutesy is a family photo where everyone is wearing the same sweater. In that context, it’s a small miracle that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On manages to be cute, but not cutesy. Because here’s the thing: The film should actually be cavity-inducing. It’s the story of a one-inch shell with a single big, expressive eye and a pair of pink shoes. And Marcel, voiced by co-creator Jenny Slate, talks in literal baby talk! The premise sounds like a nightmare, and yet, in the hands of Slate and her director and creative partner Dean Fleischer-Camp, it’s charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and surprisingly poignant.
It all starts with Slate, who has created a singular character in Marcel. I was first introduced to the talking shell before I even knew who Jenny Slate was (a few years later, she went on to star in Obvious Child). The original Marcel the Shell video shorts were released 12 years ago and are still up on YouTube. Like the film, they manage to find that sweet spot between hilarious and heartwarming, as Marcel matter-of-factly describes his life: “Guess what I wear as a hat?” he asks. “A lentil.” “Guess what I use as a pen?” “A pen, but it takes the whole family.”
Yes, Marcel speaks in a kind of scratchy, sad sack baby talk, but he’s no dummy. He’s a little shy, he has a halting way of expressing himself, and he sometimes gets words and names wrong. (The film makes great hay out of a bit where Marcel tries—and fails—to pronounce Wayne Gretzky’s name: “Whale Jetski? Is that right?”) He’s inquisitive. (“Have you ever eaten a raspberry? What was that like?”). And he can even be a little judgmental. (Upon seeing an email signed, “Peace and love,” he scoffs, “Who doesn’t want peace and love?. . . I’m going to start signing my emails, ‘Let the battle begin!’”).
Clever as the Marcel concept is, it’s another small miracle that they were able to expand it into a full-length film. (They smartly borrow some of the best bits from the original video shorts, including Marcel’s “dog,” Alan, who is actually a piece of lint on a string.) In the film, Marcel has gotten separated from his community of shells—including his parents—as the result of an unexpected tragedy. He’s in mourning and feeling a bit unstable. Only his aging Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini) (!) remains behind. He loves his Nana, but she’s a bit feeble and spends most of her time in the garden, bonding with insects. But now he’s made a new friend, the recently divorced documentary filmmaker Dean (Fleischer-Camp), who is renting the rambling, cottage-style house where Marcel lives.
Marcel the Shell is presented as a documentary, as Dean interviews Marcel and uploads his videos to YouTube. Naturally, Marcel goes viral (TikTokkers show up at his house hoping to get a glimpse at him and take selfies). Dean and Marcel have a wonderful bromance (shellmance?) and they both want what’s best for each other. (Marcel wants Dean to open his heart to love again; Dean wants Marcel to be less fretful.)
A hero’s journey needs a quest and Marcel has two: to reunite with his family and to meet his hero, 60 Minutes legend Leslie Stahl. (The film’s homage to Stahl is another unexpected delight.)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Marcel the Shell is actually a beautiful film, even poetic. Part of Marcel’s spirit—slightly dampened by the loss of his family—is his appreciation of the small things in life: Sunlight flickering through a curtain. A cool breeze. The apricot tree outside his window. (He has jerry-rigged a mixer, attached by a rope to the tree, that shakes out the fruit.) He teaches Dean to appreciate such things as well.
Because of my affection for those Marcel shorts, I was afraid the film was going to ruin a good thing. It didn’t. Marcel the movie is worth the wait—utterly endearing and never cloying. Although I do have a word of warning. Cute: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Cutesy: Your small child repeating everything Marcel says for the next six months. Good luck!