Although he’s been making stop-motion animation for close to thirty years, Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot might not be able to boast of the most prolific output. That’s probably because what he does takes time, and when he does deliver a new movie, it’s usually something special.
Many might know Elliot’s work from 2009’s Mary and Max or the Oscar-winning animated short, Harvie Krumpet, but he’s now back with a new feature called Memoir of a Snail. It follows the journey of a young girl named Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook from Succession), who is separated from her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) after their father dies, putting them on opposite sides of the continent. Grace is left despondent, though she makes a new friend in the odd and elderly Pinky (Jacki Weaver), who just does whatever she wants, inspiring the young girl.
Elliot has created another highly-original animated film that might get him into the Oscar race, considering that the movie won the top prize at the Annecy International Film Festival earlier this year, and it then went on to win the feature film competition at the London Film Festival last week. It was the first animated film ever to win that latter prize.
Cinema Daily US had a chance to speak with Elliot about what went into making his uniquely different and quirky tale, which is equally funny and poignant, as we follow Grace’s life.
Memoir of a Snail will open in select cities on Friday, October 25, and parents should make note that the movie is Rated-R, so it’s not for very young children.
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Screenwriter/Director: Adam Elliot
Voice Cast: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana, Dominique Pinon, Nick Cave,
Producer: Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney, Tu Nhi Lam
Production Co: Arenamedia, Screen Australia, Snails Pace Films
Distributor: IFC Films
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Some Violent Content)
Genre: Animation
Language: English, French
Release Date (Theaters): October 25, 2024 (limited)
Runtime: 1 hour, 34 minutes
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You can watch the trailer below: