Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
2021
**½
Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Cast: Jenny Slate, Dean Fleischer-Camp, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Nathan Fielder, Jessi Klein, Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien, Brian Williams
A documentary filmmaker discovers Marcel, a tiny anthropomorphic shell with one eye and shoes, who lives in an Airbnb with his grandmother. Marcel hopes to use his newfound fame to reunite with his long-lost family. Dean Fleischer-Camp's mockumentary is based on a stop motion character whose three shorts (2010-2014) went viral. Marcel is undoubtedly a cute creation and his adventures are probably good fun in small doses. However, going from 4 minutes to 90 minutes is a giant leap, and alas, I was bored with Marcel's episodic shenanigans and life lessons after the first fifteen minutes.
