When you’re looking for more than defiant princesses, Minions, and martial arts-wielding animals, indie animation is where you can experience something outside the box. Fortunately, Madman and IFC Films are here to present the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer, which previews a wonderfully strange-looking animated feature from Academy Award-winning director Adam Elliot (Harvie Kumpet, Mary and Max).
In the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer, Grace Pudle is separated from her twin brother Gilbert following their parents’ deaths. Unfortunately for Grace, things don’t get much better after that, and the only one who will listen to her tragic tale is a garden snail named Sylvia.
Here’s the official synopsis for Memoir of a Snail:
“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 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 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.”
Speaking with Variety, Elliot confessed his films are often semi-autobiographical by saying, “I gravitate towards the underdog. People who are perceived as different, marginalized. I am not interested in heroes. It’s probably because I am ultimately making films about myself. I really empathize and identify with my characters.”
“The truth is, they are all based on real people: they just happen to be my family and friends. In [previous film] ‘Mary and Max,’ Max was based on my pen pal, who is still alive. ‘Memoir of a Snail’ has a lot of my mother. We call her a ‘reformed hoarder,’ but she still collects.”
The Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer depicts a dreary, nightmarish world populated by emotionally charged characters. It gives Tim Burton and Mercer Mayer’s Little Monster vibes, with a touch of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. In addition to Sarah Snook (Succession), the film stars the voices of Eric Bana (The Dry), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Magda Szubanski (Babe), Dominique Pinon (Amélie), Tony Armstrong (The Pool Room with Tony Armstrong), and Nick Cave (The Proposition).
What do you think about the Memoir of a Snail teaser trailer? It looks oddly entertaining and creepy. I’m all about it. I love it when a new, intriguing animated film emerges from nowhere. I’ll be adding this to my must-watch list for 2024. Memoir of a Snail arrives in theaters later this year.