By Sara Lewin Lebwohl
The beloved character of bestselling book and YouTube fame, Marcel, a tiny shell with a big personality, has made a movie.
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is only playing in two theaters in Manhattan, and the AMC theater on Broadway, near 68th Street, is one of them. (There are plans to roll it out to more theaters throughout the summer.) I took my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Halle, the other day and we had a blast. She sat in the theater reciting her favorite lines from the book: “I also have shoes, and um, a face… so, I like that about myself and I have a lot of other great qualities as well.”
Marcel certainly has self-love covered, but there are many other notable lessons to take away from the movie. It is about making the most of what you have, being creative, and overcoming life’s obstacles.
Marcel is the creation of Jenny Slate and Dean Fleisher-Camp. Here’s the official trailer:
“It was great!” said Halle in her thoughtful review of the movie. She was also glad it is playing at the AMC, because they have a Batman video game.
You can find showtimes here.
I saw the premiere of Marcel on June 18th at the Flim Center at Lincoln Center, (with a director Q & A!) and it was incredible. Heartwarming, hilarious, and very smart writing. I appreciate the review from a four-and-a-half-year-old’s perspective, but it was equally, if not more appropriate for my 12-year-old. The dialogue can be appreciated by a broad range of ages, (although nie and up is its target), still perfectly fine for a 4-and-a-half-year-old’s viewing. Something for everyone – so go see it! It is a shell with shoes, a mouth and one big googly eye. What’s not to like?
Charming, but . . . what’s its rating?
Reply to RCP- PG. My kids saw it. Anything considered slightly mature would have been way over a kids head (and nothing was raunchy). Most G rated Disney movies often put a few things in “just for the parents.” This movie is for everyone.
Also just in case it was at all suggested, it’s none of your (or anyones) business which movies parents chose to take their kids to.