(courtesy First Showing)
SNAPSHOT
Original intro from Annecy: “Grace Pudel is a lonely misfit with an affinity for collecting ornamental snails and an intense love for books. At a young age, when Grace is separated from her fire-breathing twin brother Gilbert, she falls into a spiral of anxiety and angst. Despite a continued series of hardships, inspiration and hope emerge when she strikes up an enduring friendship with an elderly eccentric woman named Pinky, who is full of grit and lust for life. From the Academy Award-winning animation writer and director Adam Elliot, Memoir of a Snail is a poignant, heartfelt, hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life.” Memoir of a Snail is written and directed by Australian animator / filmmaker Adam Elliot, director of the film Mary and Max previously, plus many other short films including Harvie Krumpet (which won the Oscar). Produced by Liz Kearney and Adam Elliot. (courtesy First Showing)
I love animation films generally, but there is something particularly beguiling about the stop motion members of the genre, most particularly those by Aardman and of course, Australia’s Oscar-winning “animation maestro” Adam Elliot.
The arrival of his newest film, Memoir of a Snail, which premiered at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival (it took out the Best Feature top prize), is therefore a cause of great celebration and joy.
The trailer suggests a film of cheeky whimsy and deep poignancy, hallmarks on Elliot’s films which always mix playful humour with some soul-scouring emotional beauty.
This looks like a true delight and something to look forward to …
Memoir of a Snail releases 17 October in Australia and 29 October in U.S.