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[Oersted]

Official Trailer

Director Michaël Dudok de Wit

Studio Why Not Productions

Running time 80 minutes

Language None

Through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, THE RED TURTLE recounts the milestones in the life of a human being.

Review Thread

Critics Consensus: The Red Turtle adds to Studio Ghibli's estimable legacy with a beautifully animated effort whose deceptively simple story boasts narrative layers as richly absorbing as its lovely visuals.

91% Certified Fresh on RottenTomatoes/ Average Score 8.2

89% Universal Acclaim on Metacritic

Limited US Release

French Home Video Release

For more information:

Official homepage

Wikipedia

IMDB Page

 

[Oersted]

Contains:

Blu Ray
DVD
Artbook
Soundtrack CD

 

[UberTag]

My review from catching a screening at TIFF back in September...

The Red Turtle - I really wanted to enjoy this film a lot more than I did. You can do a feature-length "relatively" dialogue-free animated film and have it be successful. I ADORE Wall-E and consider it to be the pinnacle of Pixar's library but THIS was just a simplistic bore by comparison. It felt like a 30-minute short unnecessarily stretched out to a running time of 80 minutes. I have never seen an animated film with so much unused screen real estate... and while I understand that was largely a conscious decision to accentuate the theme of isolation at play, it seemed unnecessarily wasteful.

It also came off as decidedly straightforward and unimaginative compared to Team Ico games (which I was reminded of quite a bit) if they were converted into an animated feature and I quickly grew tired of seeing poorly animated 2-D crabs scurrying about and imagery of turtles swimming. That said, I do admire this film's ambition and would love to see more non-Japanese animation productions released under the Ghibli umbrella. 5.5/10

I would be shocked if this doesn't wind up with an Oscar nomination next week.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I can't wait for this to hit blu-ray in the US.

 

[Oersted]

Now in selected US cinemas.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

This isn't a Studio Ghibli film.

 

[Oersted]

This isn't a Studio Ghibli film.

Is this in response to the Rottenquote or who are you talking to?

 

[javac]

My review:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=226005481&postcount=12128

 

[Scavenger]

Contains:

Blu Ray
DVD
Artbook
Soundtrack CD

French Blu-ray:

Contents:

- Main feature
- The Aroma of Tea (2006)
- Father and Daughter (2000)
- The Monk and the Fish (1994)
- The Secrets of The Red Turtle - Drawing lesson with Michael Dudok de Wit (17 minutes)
- The Birth of The Red Turtle - Presentation on the film's production at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (55 minutes)
- Trailer

The French Blu-ray is missing the hour long Dutch documentary The Longing of Michael Dudok de Wit (Het verlangen van Michael Dudok de Wit). This behind the scenes documentary about The Red Turtle is included with the Dutch/Belgian Blu-ray and the upcoming Japanese Blu-ray.


Dutch/Belgian Blu-ray:

Contents:

- Main feature
- The Longing of Michael Dudok de Wit (55 minutes)
- The Aroma of Tea (2006)
- Father and Daughter (2000)
- Trailer

Japanese Blu-ray:

Contents:

Disc 1:
- Main feature
- The Longing of Michael Dudok de Wit (57 minutes) *Note: slowed down from 25fps to 24fps*
- Isao Takahata talks with director Michael, the animation's origin and culture: Where did The Red Turtle come from? (47 minutes)
- Trailer

Disc 2:
- The Aroma of Tea (2006)
- Father and Daughter (2000)
- The Monk and the Fish (1994)
- Tom Sweep (1992)
- The Interview (1978)
- Interview with Michael Dudok de Wit (2001) (12 minutes)

Booklet:
- Shuntaro Tanikawa (poet): "Regarding The Red Turtle"
- Natsuki Ikezawa (author): "This is a story of the fulfillment of one love, the birth of a family and its maturation."
- Isao Takahata (Artistic Producer): "Regarding The Red Turtle's release"
- Toshio Suzuki (Producer): "The latest Ghibli work comes from France"

Not sure yet which one I'll buy.

 

[metsallica]

My review from catching a screening at TIFF back in September...


I would be shocked if this doesn't wind up with an Oscar nomination next week.

Just curious, have you see The Triplets of Belleville?

This isn't a Studio Ghibli film.

It's a co-pro, isn't it?

 

[Amirnol]

As much as I loved the look of this film, I came away from it feeling nothing. I agree with whoever said it feels like a 20-30 min short film stretched out to feature length. In fact it would've been brilliant as a short film, I think. Oh well, still worth seeing.

 

[Messofanego]

My review from LFF, I loved it.

The Red Turtle
Stunningly animated, wordless surreal life journey of a man marooned on an island. Some of the story beats are familiar for a survivalist tale but the overall theme of the ebb and flow in life is pretty interesting. Where sometimes you need to stay and be content with what you have or leave when the opportunity arises. Shares not only Ghibli's naturalistic tendencies but also the bittersweet mood especially in Isao Takahata films. Shoutout to the crabs as best comedic relief in a film this year.

Some insights from the Q&A. They were approached by Studio Ghibli to collaborate with, which in itself is surreal when you're the one being pitched by the best animation company in the world. Secondly, Takahata doesn't draw at all, which is rare for animation directors.

 

[WolfeTone]

I enjoyed the movie, but I was unsure what I was supposed to take away from it.

I would be shocked if this doesn't wind up with an Oscar nomination next week.

I wouldn't be shocked if it was passed over to be honest, looking at the way the Academy treats the animated film category. Though to be fair, they usually include a Ghibli movie if one has released that year.

 

[BorkBork]

I want to see this. Is it available for download/streaming on any North American services?

Edit: Also, I just read this Q&A on it. Really great answers:

And there was a theme which I loved since childhood — the "castaway on a desert island" theme we all know so well. It's archetypal. It's more than about survival, it's about life in general. I loved it as a child, and I thought, "That's my starting point." The second thing I thought was, "What's the feeling? What's the emotion?" And the answer was a profound, deep awe for nature. And I don't mean lovely sunsets and animals, but for Nature with a capital N, for what you feel when you're in nature, the ambiances. Just in light, the fact that light exists, grows, death, all that. Human nature, of course. And I thought, "Oh, wouldn't it be great to make a film where that is put forward, certainly not as a message, but just to celebrate that, and see if that works?"

 

[BorkBork]

Just saw this. I liked it a lot, then I thought about it, and then I loved it.

Despite the natural backdrop and the meditative tone, this is a very un-Ghibli movie, so don't go into it expecting such. It's its own thing, and I really appreciate that.
It is a much simpler and bigger story, about life, nothing more, nothing less.

So many thoughts buzzing right now... need to write it down.

 

[hendersonhank]

Wowee, this was the most visually beautiful animated film I've ever seen. Loved the story, too. Just a great film. Even gave my subwoofer a workout, which is unusual for a hand-animated film!

 

[Kaako]

Saw this last week and absolutely loved it. Well worth a watch imo.

 

[shattyboombatty]

Just got the bluray from Amazon and watched it tonight. I didn't really know what to expect, especially the no-dialogue aspect, but wow... I really liked this movie! Beautifully drawn, beautiful scenery, and once I realized it was a no-talking deal, I even appreciated how they worked that into the movie.

I can see how some might feel this is on the boring side of film, but I was hooked after a few minutes and thought it was really moving.

Definitely worth a watch.

 

[RedSwirl]

Just saw it.


...what?

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I just watched this the other day as well. I thought it was beautiful and moving.

 

[BorkBork]

Just saw it.


...what?

Life, man. Life.