Sweet, poignant mockumentary goes small to make big points.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Products & Purchases
some
YouTube, Airbnb, and 60 Minutes play prominent roles in the story. Other products seen/mentioned include Sister Act, Diet Coke, Google, Mitsubishi, Crayola, Starbucks, iPhone, and Mac computers.
Violence & Scariness
a little
The shells face lots of peril in the world -- from dogs, squirrels, people, heights, falling objects, the washing machine, etc. Nana Connie falls and is injured, her shell cracked. There's a sad loss, which is followed by grief. When heading out into the world, Marcel packs a nail and a match to use as weapons if necessary. A couple argue.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
It's implied that Marcel finds pubic hair ("hearty hairs," he calls them) in the shower/bath and uses them for his projects. Marcel makes kissy noises to be funny and says "ooh, baby, baby" -- he has seen kissing on television.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Stresses importance of family, community, and connection, as well as doing the necessary thing, even when it's difficult or scary. Shows transformative power of friendship. Demonstrates that you can connect with people online and see the world virtually -- i.e., even if your world is small in scope, you can find ways to explore. Addresses idea of an audience vs. a community and the idea that helping someone just for show isn't really useful. Points out that sometimes you have to dive into life.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Marcel is brave, loyal, a dedicated grandshell to Nana Connie, constantly thinking of her needs and putting them first. He also demonstrates gratitude and perseverance. Nana Connie loves Marcel and wants to encourage him to be brave and take risks, to open up and dive into life. Dean is helpful most of the time.
Diverse Representations
very little
Marcel's character and story show that people (and shells) shouldn't be limited by their size or stature. Nana Connie is a strong, independent female shell.
Marcel models ingenuity and creativity in his approach to overcoming obstacles and solving problems.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a sweet, poignant live-action/animated mockumentary based on the popular short films about a one-inch-tall anthropomorphic shell named Marcel (voiced by Jenny Slate) that gained popularity on YouTube in the early 2010s. The story follows Marcel's quest to find his long-lost family with the help of a human filmmaker. Characters deal with loss and express their grief; the shells face everyday perils like animals, heights, and feet; and Marcel packs weapons (a nail and a match) when heading out into the world. But overall this is a very mild, gentle film with strong messages about the importance of family, doing the right thing even when it's hard, and the transformative power of friendship. Language is limited to rare exclamations like "dang it" and "oh my God," there's a kissing reference, and a cork pops during a celebration. While the content is appropriate even for young elementary schoolers, the film's intentionally calm pace and focus on talk over action make it a better fit for tweens and up. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
New Age caution + unnecessary inappropriate references
So it's obviously a cute and thoughtful movie. I appreciate the realness of it and the slowness of it. My eight year old daughter really enjoyed the movie but I docked two stars for the inclusion of a number of inappropriate jokes / references that were completely unnecessary and not appropriate for children at all. Why include those!? They didn't add to the movie in any way. Marcel was funny and clever without them. Also did not resonate with the oneness theology / new age note that the movie ended with. Overall I'd say the movie was a bit of a let down for me and much more melancholic than I had hoped for.
Very charming. Lovely antidote to all the high-octane, nonstop action-driven kids movies being made now. This was a perfect movie to watch as a family—we all enjoyed it and got something out of it. Isabella Rossellini was especially well cast as Marcel’s grandmother. Very young children may have trouble following the story but our seven year old could keep up for the most part—and the message is clear and extremely heartwarming. One caveat—since it is a bit on the slow side, it may be better on the big screen in a theater. Then there’s no way to switch to another movie! ; )
What's the Story?
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON tells the story of a tiny anthropomorphic shell named Marcel (voiced by Jenny Slate) who lives with his grandmother, Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini), in a suburban house used as an Airbnb. It's been just the two of them since their large shell family mysteriously disappeared two years before. As Marcel gets to know documentary filmmaker Dean Fleischer-Camp, who's staying in the house while dealing with his own personal drama, the little shell inspires Fleischer-Camp to post videos to YouTube of Marcel going about his everyday life. A fandom is spawned, and eventually Marcel's story reaches the ears of those who might actually be able to help him figure out what happened to his family.
Sweet, poignant, and funny -- but also intentionally calm and thoughtful -- this movie about a tiny shell's unique perspective on life will have you looking at your own surroundings in new ways. Based on a popular series of YouTube videos from the early 2010s, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a stop-motion labor of love that took more than six years for Slate and Fleischer-Camp to make. And while fans of the original videos will appreciate the callbacks to jokes about things like Marcel using toenails for skis, there's so much more in this longer version of Marcel's story. The care that clearly went into creating Marcel and his world is evident in every scene, from his tiny honey footprints on the walls (the honey helps him stick) to the elaborate systems he sets up to gather food and move around his house.
While Marcel's journey to find his family feels huge and intimidating to him, it's important to remember that all of this is happening on shell scale. Young kids or those expecting action and adventure may find their attention wandering while Marcel putters around his house and decides what to do. But for those who are able to focus on this tiny hero and what he learns about family, friendship, and taking necessary risks, this lovely little film will have a big impact.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the techniques used to make Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. How do you think the filmmakers made Marcel move? Talk? How long do you think it took to complete the film?
What does Marcel learn over the course of the movie? How does Nana Connie help him grow and take risks? What kind of risks are positive to take in life?
Marcel's story shows how the internet can be both helpful (creating connections) and harmful (loss of personal space/privacy). What do you like and dislike about online life?
How does the movie handle loss and grief? Did any parts make you sad? Were you expecting that?
What audience do you think this movie was made for? How can you tell?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Betsy Bozdech
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
