FILM #28
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
FEBRUARY 25, 2023
4K ULTRA HD
DAY 33
OF 48
Best ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Produced by Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
No other film of 2022 put me through more emotions than “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” at least not one that I could share with my entire family. Voiced by Jenny Slate, Marcel is a shell with a little eye and some shoes. He zooms around a former Airbnb rental home in a modified tennis ball and uses honey to stick to the walls and windows, leaving tiny little honey splotches everywhere he treads. Living with his grandmother, Nana Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini), Marcel longs to reconnect with his missing family. Dean, played by the actual director of the film Dean Fleischer Camp, is staying in the house and asks if he can document Marcel’s life. What transpires is some of the year’s most honest, beautiful, and hilarious writing.
First of all, the stop animation of Marcel works seamlessly with the live-action portions of the film. So much so that even after a couple of viewings, I still can’t tell how they did it. With that comes forgetting that Marcel’s not even a live-action feature of the film. Slate does fantastic voice work for the title character, bringing a great ethos to an inanimate object. The script explores big themes with a grace that opens conversations about topics that sometimes feel too big to broach. These unlikeliest examples tackle the deteriorating mental state of aging relatives, loss, and new beginnings. Not only does “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” raise the bar for independent filmmaking, but it also sets a precedent for all animated films by pushing boundaries, eloquently confronting everyday struggles, and producing work that the entire family can genuinely enjoy in a meaningful and thought-provoking way.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
Dean Fleischer Camp
| First-time nominee |
Elisabeth Holm
| First-time nominee |
Andrew Goldman
| First-time nominee |
Caroline Kaplan
| First-time nominee |
Paul Mezey
| First-time nominee |
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family. A beloved character gets his big-screen debut in this hilarious and heartwarming story about finding connection in the smallest corners.
Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
A24
July 22, 2022
89 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
Saturn Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards — Best Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
American Cinema Editors Awards — Best Edited Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Best Animated Independent Feature [Winner]
Austin Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Columbus Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Critics Ass. of Central Florida Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Critics Choice Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Denver Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Ent. Critics Awards — Animated Film of the Year [Winner]
Georgia Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Animated Feature (Nominee)
Golden Globes Awards — Best Motion Picture – Animated (Nominee)
Greater Western NY Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Awards — Best Independent Film [Winner]
Hollywood Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Houston Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Indiana Film Journalists Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
Intl Cinephile Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Intl Online Cinema Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Iowa Film Critics Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Los Angeles Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animation (Nominee)
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
National Board of Review Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
New York Film Critics Online Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
North Texas Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Online Ass. of Female Film Critics Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Producers Guild of America Awards — Animated Motion Pictures (Nominee)
Phoenix Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
San Fran. Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Satellite Awards — Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media (Nominee)
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
Southeastern Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
St. Louis Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film [Winner]
Toronto Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Utah Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature Film [Winner]
Washington DC Area Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
2. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
3. “Turning Red”
4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
5. “The Sea Beast”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
2. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
4. “Turning Red”
5. “The Sea Beast”
