Jenny Slate's Marcel The Shell finds its home at A24
The independent production company has acquired the distribution rights for the film
Marcel The Shell, the one-inch tall, googly-eyed, shoe-wearing shell with lots of confidence and big dreams has now landed a distribution deal with A24. The independent production company has officially acquired the rights to the full-length film from Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp (Fraud), titled Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.
The feature introduces us once more to Marcel, who lives 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.
According to Variety, the film is described as a “hilarious and heartwarming story about finding connection in the smallest corners.” Slate, a voice actor (Big Mouth, The Secret Life Of Pets, Bob’s Burgers) and stage comedian will voice the shy shell with shoes on, as she did in the original shorts.
Marcel The Shell’s cast also includes Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel), Thomas Mann (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl), and Lesley Stahl. Camp will play the role of the documentary filmmaker.
Slate created “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” with Fleischer-Camp in 2010, sharing the short on Youtube. It spurred two follow-up videos and two New York Times best-selling children’s storybooks, written by Slate. Fleischer-Camp directed the movie and wrote the screenplay alongside Slate and Nick Paley from a story by Fleischer-Camp, Slate, Paley, and Elisabeth Holm. The film made its official premiere earlier this year at Telluride Film Festival.
A24 has not announced a theater debut date for Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.