Aug 30, 2024

Adam Elliott releases trailer for Annecy Award-winning film “Memoir Of A Snail”

IFC Films has released the first trailer for the U.S. version of Adam Elliott's “Snail Memory,” which won the top award for best feature film at Annecy earlier this year.

The animated Australian feature opens in the U.S. on October 25 and is slated for a wider regional release in November. It will have its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend, and will screen at the Ottawa International Animated Film Festival next month.

Notably, October is a busy month for theatrical animated releases. In addition to Elliott's latest, “Look Back” (GKIDS, October 4), “Scarygirl” (Viva Pictures, October 4), “My Hero Academia: You're Next” (Toho International, October 11) and “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features, October 11). What is noteworthy about this body of work is how different each release is from the others. There is not a single four-quadrant film from the majors in these releases, each filling a unique niche in the market that may find its own audience.

“Snail Memory” will not be confused with the other films on the list. The stop-motion film is described as “a heartfelt and entertaining chronicle of the life of an outsider who finds confidence and a silver lining in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.” If you've seen any of Elliott's other shorts or features (including the Academy Award-winning “Harvey Crumpet” and “Mary and Max”), you know what to expect: voice-over storytelling, engaging characters and animation, and maximum quirkiness. You know what to expect. [Grace Pudell, a book lover and snail collector, suffers a series of misfortunes after being separated from her twin brother Gilbert. Despite her hardships, inspiration and hope are born as she strikes up a friendship with an eccentric old woman named Pinky.

Voices include Sarah Snook, Eric Bana, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Dominique Pinon, Nick Cave, Magda Svansky, and Jacki Weaver.