The Red Turtle (2016)

The Red Turtle is a quiet little beautiful thing. Its story is simple yet profound and it's art is simply gorgeous. It is both big and intimate. It is an accessible story to pretty much anyone who comes across it.

A co-production between Studio Ghibli (one of the best animation studios in the world) and the distributor Wild Bunch, The Red Turtle doesn't feel like typical Ghibli fare yet fits wonderfully into its tradition. It certainly has a different look yet remains something exquisite to look at.

The choice to use no dialogue (a la Les Triplettes de Belleville) opens up the story in more ways than one. It allows the story to just tell itself and be interpreted by its audience on their own. It also makes it accessible by any audience even though the story is a bit esoteric.

The Red Turtle is certainly something to be seen. It is a reminder of how animation can push the boundaries of what films can be. And it is a hard film not to like.

The Red Turtle
Writer/Director: Michaël Dudok de Wit