Whether you’re a long-time Marcel the Shell With Shoes On fan or new to this little shell’s world, the trailer for A24’s Marcel the Shell With Shoes On movie will make you tear up. Yes, even you. If you watch this trailer, you can’t escape your fate. Because Marcel is such an earnest creature/shell and he just wants to find his family. So get your shoes on, the time has come for an adventure.
Marcel (the shell with shoes on) first appeared a decade ago. He starred in a set of viral shorts directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and written Jenny Slate and Fleischer-Camp. Slate also voiced Marcel. In them, Marcel, a talking shell who wore shoes, gets interviewed by someone off-camera and offers a running commentary on all kinds of things that go on in a small shell’s life. But now, ten years later, Marcel has returned in a feature film adventure. And he’s making a splash.
In the movie, Marcel appears to have lost his family, remaining only with his grandmother. Together, they watch 60 Minutes and share poignant truths. But Marcel has a hole in his heart. He needs his family and he has to get them back. Luckily, he’s joined by some unlikely friends including documentary filmmaker Dean (a.k.a Dean Fleischer-Camp, who helped make the original videos) and Conan O’Brien, among others. And it looks like, in a bit of a meta-moment, Marcel will get a taste of what it’s like to go viral. But this little shell just wants to find the love and safety of his family. So we hope he can get back to them again.
The official synopsis reveals more detail, sharing:
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.
The Marcel the Shell With Shoes On movie also reunites the original team. Dean Fleischer-Camp directs and Jenny Slate lends her voice back to Marcel. A24 will bring this movie to theaters. Although on the surface, this seems like an unusual choice for the company, it must be said Marcel the Shell With Shoes On feels delightfully weird (and a little morbid) in exactly the right way for A24. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On releases on June 24.
In the meanwhile, you can catch up on the original shorts, all of which remain available on Fleischer-Camp’s YouTube channel.