Marcel the Shell with Shoes On has always found a way to make people laugh through short films and literature.  For their next trick, creators Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate effortlessly expand on their concept to include more of an emotional core to Marcel’s world in this self-titled, feature-length debut.

Marcel (voiced by Slate) is a humble mollusk who is very perceptive and positive.  He has seen so much change in his house but, much like other miniature, housebound folktale characters, Marcel has created a habitat.  He forages for food, finds ways to have fun, and he’s the perfect companion for his shell-tered grandmother Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini who, funnily enough, I last heard voicing a hamster in Closet Monster).  Just as in the shorts, an amateur filmmaker (Fleischer-Camp) is heard off-screen interviewing Marcel on a lark.  This time, we see more of the filmmaker, Dean, as he integrates himself more in Marcel’s life and, soon, it’s obvious that him and his subject are creating a loyal albeit unusual friendship.  When Marcel starts exploring the possibilities of reconnecting with family that have been suddenly relocated, the filmmaker shifts the project’s focus to assist Marcel.

Though it seems as if Marcel’s journey to reconnect with family is the primary motivation driving the story, to me, it isn’t.  In another addition to the current “nicecore” trend (previously referenced in my Peace By Chocolate review), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On reminds us through heart and humour of how relationships can be healthy for your soul.  Whether it’s a family bond (Marcel and Connie) or a newly developed friendship between two unlikely parties (Dean and Marcel), these interactions and shared experiences can help bridge together curiosities, ambitions, and fears.  It’s deliberately existential through its imagination in the same way Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, and will most likely attract the same viewers.  For my two-year-old daughter, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On was entertaining through its visuals, notably when the mollusk was scooting around the house in a tennis ball, “figure skating” in dust, or gardening with Connie.  Anything in between, she checked out for.  I’m only making a mention of this because the marketing for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On wants to engage with kids, which may be a bit of a reach given how introspective it mostly is.

The visual innovation is gratifying for all-audiences, but the movie goers who are able to relate to the film’s reflective moments are the ones who are truly going to invest in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.  For instance, how Marcel handles Connie’s lapses in memory with consideration, but how he’s also so naïve of her future.  Or, how Marcel determines when he’s ready to accept Dean’s help, or when Marcel learns who’s truly going to help him after an online call to arms results in a lot of lip service from influencers.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On tugs on our heartstrings, but also sends us home with reassurance that we’re never alone to figure out life’s curveballs.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is now playing at Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The film expands to more theatres on Friday, July 8 and Friday, July 15.

Read Jolie Featherstone’s review of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie