“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” the micro-budgeted, partially animated indie starring Jenny Slate as the voice of an andromorphic shell (with shoes on), is a mega-watt charmer that has also become one of the summer’s sleeper hits. Now in over 800 theaters, it feels like a balm for these troubled times – it is gloriously cute but not totally sanded down. (This is an A24 family movie, with everything that that implies.)
The plot of the movie, as much as there is one, concerns Marcel (Slate) and his attempt to reunite with his family, who were hastily whisked away after hiding in a sock drawer.