The 2026 edition of the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) is championing young women in STEM with a film like Mary Anning.
The animation directed and co-written by Marcel Barelli retraces the moment in which the illustrious British paleontologist was a 12-year-old girl in Dorset who made a pioneering discovery in the field of fossils. The story is set in 1811, a time in which the condition of women differed from today’s, especially for those who aspired to venture into scientific professions.
The picture takes some artistic license in simplifying the biography of Mary Anning, but at the same time references with precision some important key factors. In fact, her plight focuses on the discovery of the fossil of a Jurassic marine creature, in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in Southwest England. History now knows that what Anning discovered as a child was the skeleton of an ichthyosaur, a large extinct marine reptile that thrived during much of the Mesozoic era.
In 2020 Francis Lee’s live action biopic, Ammonite, was inspired by Mary Anning’s life, but in that case it focused primarily on her romantic relationship with geologist Charlotte Murchison. Whereas, the debut feature by Ticino-born Swiss director Marcel Barelli shows the very narrow ideas about science and women at the beginning of the 19th century, by juxtaposing a variety of characters. The reverend of the tiny town epitomises the bigoted and prejudiced society, that is often indulged by Mary’s mother who is the sole breadwinner of the family and needs to sustain her children and pay off the family debts. A sea captain grieving his lost daughter and the natural history specimen collector William Buckland support Mary’s passion for fossils, as much as the young girl’s peers. The film has been subtle in creating also the character of Miss Philipot, an unmarried, childless woman who pursues a path in science, representing an aspirational role model for Mary.
Mary Anning was presented as a world premiere in the Annecy présente section of the Annecy Animated Film Festival. The dainty 2D animation is enhanced by Shyle Zelewski’s soundtrack and amusing songs such as Edam Edam’s Weirdo Forever, that poetically celebrate the figure of the misfit. Even though this film was sensitively crafted for children, it allows adults to embrace the freedom to dream of going beyond conventions and rebel against gender norms. The young protagonist is not willing to succumb to the customs of her time. She wants to read and explore. She wants to rely on research and empiricism to acquire knowledge of the world. She is not willing to rely on old prejudices and antiquated traditions. In fact, the original title captures the pragmatic spirit of this young lady: Mary Anning, chasseuse de fossiles which translates to Mary Anning, huntress of fossils.
Anning’s findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the Earth. Barelli’s film doesn’t show the struggles of her adulthood, when she was not eligible to join the Geological Society of London, and she did not always receive full credit for her scientific contributions. It suffices for us to see this young girl struggling to be taken seriously at the very start of her life, as those around her discourage her quest. She represents a powerful example of how there is no pre-established age to question issues of social determinism, that tend to clip the wings of those who are ready to venture into unchartered territories.
Final Grade: A
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Photos Courtesy of Fantoche