“My name is Marcel and I’m partially a shell, as you can see from my body.” Marcel is an adorable, 1-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. However, when a documentary filmmaker discovers them, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope of finding his long-lost family. After a series of successful short films and books, Marcel the Shell, gets the feature-length treatment. Note: the film stands on its own. No prior knowledge of Marcel or filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp is required.
Genre: Animation, docu-mockumentary, drama, comedy
Language: English
The film is set up as a documentary. Filmmaker Dean accidentally discovers a talking shell in the house where he is temporarily staying and decides to investigate. The film contains some of the standard ingredients of a documentary, such as interviews on location, but also plays with the genre with an invented main character. It is a miracle that the film never feels staged. Marcel feels authentic and brings a new perspective to the world. The conversations in this film have an unforced intimacy, avoiding the usual stiffness of movies trying to teach important lessons. The comedic timing and rapport between Dean and Marcel only adds to the charming mood of the film. If this film does not touch your heart, it might be time to wonder if you have one….
The perfect preparation for this film? Join Kaboom film programmer Maarten van Gageldonk, Head of Program of Kaboom Animation Festival, for a lunch lecture on the absence of physics in animation.
And note: this film critics’ favorite comes to the screen just once
The film will be preceded by a short introduction by Maarten van Gageldonk.
Reviews
“It’s impossible not to see the world differently after meeting him.” The Hollywood reporter.
“An unlikely star is born, Marcel the Shell is irresistible. A comedic mock documentary about Marcel that treats the character and his concerns in all sincerity — never wears out its welcome.” Variety
Ticket information
This film will be shown at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos. Buying a ticket online in advance is mandatory if you want to attend this film. You can buy a ticket via the black “order” button on this page.
Please note: you can only buy a ticket online; tickets are not purchasable with cash or bank card at the ticket counter.
You can find more general information about tickets, refund policy etc. here.
Please be on time
The screening of the film starts at 19:30 sharp (no commercials). We kindly ask you to be at the ticket counter when it opens 15 minutes prior to the start of the film. This is to ensure the film starts and ends on time.
SG & USE/ITEC registration
Please register for SG & USE/ITEC by scanning your student ID at the venue after the film.
More information about SG & USE/ITEC can be found here.
The Studium Generale film program is created in collaboration with the student film committee and Natlab.