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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is about as simple as the YouTube shorts it's based on. He is Marcel and he is a shell wearing shoes while he walks around musing about his simple shell life. He displays no anger, no bitterness, or bleakness about his tiny existence. And he observes life much like children do with a level of innocence and humor that makes him infectious to hang out while he converses with the audience about his perceived reality.

Dean Fleischer-Camp's adaptation of his short film to a feature could have worn out its welcome. A shell spouting random jokes about his daily life is not easy to make interesting for 90-minutes. Yet, somehow thanks to an existential and spiritual approach to Marcel's story, Fleischer-Camp has made a masterpiece with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On that both children and audiences will find accessible. Plus, Marcel is just an insightful little man with lots to say.

The movie centers on Marcel (Jenny Slate) and his friend Dean (Dean Fleischer-Camp) who is documenting the daily life of his tiny shell friend. Similar to the shorts, Marcel remarks on the extraordinary and the simple things around him. He rides around in a tennis ball, he has a room with a bed made of bread that he coins as the "breadroom." And Marcel has many rigged setups around the home that he demonstrates to Dean like a child wanting to show his best friend a new toy.

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This time Marcel is not alone and is accompanied by his grandmother Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini). She is an equally charming lady shell who has a tiny garden and spends her time tending to flying insects that provide her with something equally beneficial to the plant life and to her. Most of the film centers around their relationship as Dean acts as an interested observer of their life inside the big house that is also an Airbnb. Marcel and Nana also speak of a bigger family that they lost and seek to locate. And the two of them spend each Sunday watching 60 Minutes as a family.

One of the complaints that some will have is the fact that there is not much of a story in this transition to the big screen. But this is more of a feature than a bug. The film operates like a slice of life story where everything is significant but it's not structured conventionally. It is very similar to the approach of films like Boyhood and The Florida Project. One could make an argument that it is the same approach as The Office, serving as a brief window into silly moments from the unlikeliest of characters. Only in this case, Marcel is the childlike protagonist, not Michael Scott.

The stop-motion is not perfect but it has no need to be. It's quite similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit (or Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers) in that it blends live-action and animation. The audience knows it is not real but when Bob Hoskins kisses a giant 2D rabbit, it immediately becomes magical. And Jenny Slate exudes so much charm into the voice of Marcel, that he becomes sentient in the most lovable way imaginable.

One of the most beautiful things about the Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is the way it tackles important real-life issues kids will face in a heartwarming way that takes hard realities down to the level of children in a way that treats them as human. It has philosophical discussions that everyone will struggle with at some point and somehow makes it understandable for even the youngest members of the audience.

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On deals with adult questions about life, what it means to be alive, and how to handle it when unexpected difficulties take place. Not only does it deal with these issues in an honest and healthy manner, it does so in such a way that the audience will feel a sense of safety in addressing these issues. It is rare to find a film that can address such adult themes in such a genuinely comforting manner, especially for children.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is sincere, funny, and thoughtful in the most painfully delightful way. A24 is having an incredible year between this and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Just like Marcel himself, the stop-motion/live-action hybrid is a tiny story with a giant heart. It begs children and adults to remember that simple things can be just as joyful as the larger aspects of life. And just like Everything Everywhere All At Once, it is one of the best films this year has to offer.

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On opens nationwide on July 15.