The contemporary media landscape is made up almost entirely of reboots and franchise flicks. Production companies are seemingly hesitant to release any entertainment product without a recognizable (read: internationally profitable) cast of characters. This is not always an issue. Film franchises allow filmgoers to fall in love with their favorite characters, and modern audiences are seldom left feeling unsatisfied with an unfinished storyline. Alternatively, the current obsession with cinematic universifying just about every film that hits the silver screen has led to new and exciting pictures.
However, sometimes a continuation of an already existing piece of media can serve as an emotionally cathartic and worthy successor. This is undeniably the case with the recently released Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, a stop-motion animated movie that revolves around an adorably anthropomorphic shy seashell named Marcel. The film, which is based on a series of shorts of the same that were all released over a decade ago, has proved to be another smash hit for A24.
The titular Marcel is loveably awkward, and the film takes the seashell on a whirlwind adventure, which explores themes of familial love and modern influencer culture. Marcel the Shell is voiced by Jenny Slate, who has been a creative contributor to the Marcel extended universe since the series's inception in 2010. Here's how Jenny Slate has made Marcel the Shell with Shoes On compelling for over a decade.
Jenny Slate's Incredible Voice Acting Range .jpeg)
The titular googly-eyed, sneaker-clad seashell in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is voiced by Jenny Slate, a voice actor who, in the decade since the original Marcel the Shell video was released, has made quite a name for herself. She has played a wide range of characters in both live-action and animated media.
Slate has portrayed Tammy Larson, a vain bully that attends school with the Belcher children, on Bob's Burgers since 2012. In 2016, she voiced Dawn Bellwether, a nefarious lamb with ill intentions for the city's predators, in the film Zootopia and, in 2017, took on the role of Harley Quinn in The Lego Batman Movie. For several years, Slate played Missy Foreman-Greenwald on Big Mouth before relinquishing the role to Ayo Edebiri (How It Ends, The Bear) when Slate decided that she, as a white woman, should not voice an African-American character.
Marcel the Shell's Delightfully Awkward Speaking Style 
The original Marcel the Shell with Shoes On videos are comprised almost entirely of Marcel mumbling references to his small stature and quaint life amidst the clutter of his human-sized home. For example, in the first line of the first video, which was released back in 2010, Marcel introduces himself as "Mar-shell" before sighing in embarrassment and retrying his introduction.
In the very next scene, the seashell expresses embarrassment about a mess of leafy greens left over from a salad-making party he had recently hosted. Later, Marcel asks if the filmmaker wants to see him talk on the phone, and audiences get a good laugh out of the character's small stature next to a flip phone (which, to modern audiences, serves as a reminder of the short's 2010 release). Near the end of the first short, Marcel reveals to the filmmaker, Dean Fleischer Camp, that one of her relatives killed another seashell by impaling them on a brush. Camp laughs, noting that the method of murder sounds rather violent for a relative of the timid Marcel. The adorable seashell responds, "We're not violent unless we're provoked." Jenny Slate, herself a comedian, has excellent comedic timing and brings the full weight of her humorous capabilities to Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.
Released on June 24, 2022, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On could very well be one of the best films released so far. Some fans and critics have even gone so far as to suggest that the film should be considered for an Academy Award. Regardless of whether or not the film is destined for Oscar gold, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a heartwarming picture that has a lot to say about modern society, as well as the very nature of love. It is unlikely that anyone involved with the production, given the fact that the original shorts were released over a decade ago, that Marcel would be the subject of a feature film.
Nevertheless, when tasked with reviving the character, Slate undeniably delivered. Few actors, outside of those in the modern media landscape's longest-running franchises, can claim to have successfully portrayed a character for over ten years. As such, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On cements Jenny Slate as a world-class voice talent.
The film is now playing in theaters.