by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So, I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea is to take a look at some underseen gems—so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
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I didn’t intend it to go this way, but I guess we’re going minimalist for this year’s Best Animated Featured catch up. But, hey, it gives me a chance to cross another film off my Studio Ghibli Blu-ray collection watchlist.
The production of The Red Turtle was a milestone for the company, marking their first foreign production, as they were a fan of writer/director Michael Dudok de Wit’s Oscar-winning short Father and Daughter. As a first foreign entry for the studio, it’s interesting, because of the long list of (largely European) production companies, The Red Turtle seems more like the European arthouse films we’ve covered in this series in the past than a Ghibli effort.
Dialogue-less, aside from monosyllabic cries trying to reach ears that don’t exist somewhere out in the great distance or the like, the film follows the life of a shipwrecked man on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, as we follow his life over the years. It’s a solitary existence, without even a volleyball in sight. He does, however, make a connection with the rest of the life on the island, such as the turtles he finds on his first day. His repeated attempts to escape by raft create a pattern, especially when he finds he’s being thwarted by the titular red turtle. There’s more to the turtle than meets the eye initially and it transitions the film into something more fantastical than is presented in the first act.
Even before it gets fantastical, there’s an occasional trippy, dreamlike quality to the film, which makes sense for the mental state of someone in that position. But unlike some films where that can equate to technicolor fever dreams, since these happen at night, they are almost monochromatic, brought to life in greys, browns and bathed in shadows—An understated touch that I appreciated.
When it comes to the art style, there isn’t as much texture or depth as you might get from some other animated films, but the simplicity of style works wonders with the story it’s trying to tell. But this simplicity doesn’t connote “simple.” The sea is never one shade of blue, nor the sky one shade of anything. Our main character, particularly as he’s introduced, is often made to look quite small on the screen, which helps sell the expansiveness and the emptiness of the world around him. It’s also exclusively how we mark the passage of time. There are no title cards declaring “three months later” or anything of the sort. We are cued in solely through how the animators literally illustrate the passage of time.
The sound does as much work as the visuals. All we have are the slurps of drinking water, the pounding of rain, the call of birds and grunts and other various noises over the course of life on the island. The classical score perfectly fits the simplicity to fit the various moods as life passes.
Especially if movies like Moana is your thing, it’s a great indie to dive into. There’s a tropical mythic quality that mirrors the backbone of that story. Just make sure you’re in the mood for the very specific type of experience The Red Turtle is offering.
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I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, we’re crossing another international film off my DVR.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd