Marcel Proust had his memory-infused madeleines. Marcel Marceau had his invisible dog and a lifetime of pantomime. But it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a more beguiling Marcel than the inch-tall philosopher and gentle, inspiring wiseacre at the center of “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.”
I have adored Marcel ever since the stop-motion animation star, created by Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate, appeared in a short posted on YouTube in 2010, which as of Thursday has been viewed more than 32.6 million times. Then came a sequel, then another. And two picture books. And now, the feature distributed by A24, which has turned out wonderfully and, like Marcel, is just the right size.
When newcomers learn that Marcel and his movie are “sweet” — that’s the adjective I heard spoken most frequently, on the way out of a recent preview screening — it’ll likely mean more customers for “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” has the misfortune to compete against in theaters. So be it. The world is big enough for another onslaught of pill-shaped maniacs and a thoughtful, companionable talking mollusk.
