I’m not a big follower of short films, so I missed the original Marcel the Shell with Shoes On when it came out in 2010, but as soon as I saw the trailer for the new movie, I knew I wanted to see this one. It looked adorable, and hearkened back to the feel-good kinds of kid movies from my youth (and not just because it is an old-school stop motion movie). I was not disappointed.
The movie follows Marcel, a tiny living shell, less than an inch tall, who lives in a vast house with his grandmother, Nanna. Doing the filming is Dean, an amateur filmmaker who’s decided to tell Marcel’s story. Dean has recently rented the house (an Airbnb), not knowing he’d have a “roommate.” Marcel is an eternal optimist, almost to a fault, and his innocence is completely charming. Despite have a hard couple years, Marcel always looks on the brighter side of life. He and Nanna used to live in the house with a huge extended family and friends, but some time ago, everyone was lost. Marcel and family used to watch 60 minutes every week (“Leslie Stahl is fearless”), but one night, when the home’s original owners got into a huge fight, Marcel and Nanna noticed no one else showed up for the show. They soon realized that everyone was in the sock drawer, the “safe place” to go when the owners were fighting, and the man emptied the drawer into a suitcase and left, never to return. It’s just been Marcel and Nanna ever since, and while it is obvious that Marcel misses his parents and everyone else, he keeps a stiff upper lip.
Dean is moved by Marcel’s story, and while he knows the chances of ever finding Marcel’s parents is slim in the big city, he does what he can. First, he uploads a video of Marcel, and when it goes viral, Dean takes Marcel out of the house to see what they can see. It’s a long adventure, and while it seems hopeless at times, Marcel never despairs. Along the way, he even coaxes Dean, who is living in the house because his own relationship is on the rocks, to open up about his personal life.
To say this movie is cute is a total understatement. Marcel’s complete guileless demeanor takes everyone and everything at face value. For example, when his YouTube video blows up, he doesn’t understand why so many people would comment without really helping him find his parents. It is easy to root for him from the very opening scene, and when something doesn’t go right, you feel his pain along with him, even as he tries to move on to the next hopeful idea. Awesome, fun movie, for kids and kids-at-heart. You’ll laugh a lot, you might cry, and it is one of those rare movies that you can watch over and over. ★★★★½
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