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The Red Turtle

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The Red Turtle

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Summary

Animated fantasy produced by Studio Ghibli. A man wakes up stranded on a desert island and attempts to sail home, only to find his escape blocked by a mysterious, impassive creature.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Trevor Johnston

A shipwrecked sailor's survival on a tropical island becomes dependent on his complex relationship with a giant red turtle in this wordless animated feature, a first-ever international co-production for Japan's esteemed Studio Ghibli (makers of Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro). Proceeding at a meditative pace and resisting the opportunity to explain away its mysterious story developments, this long-form debut by London-based Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit has the timeless certainty of an old folk tale. As the solo castaway learns the hard way that he must respect his new environment, no dialogue is needed to spell out the film's reverence for the natural world, and the understanding that mankind is not its master. The course of 80 minutes brings us nail-biting drama, a touch of romance (!) and a profound engagement with the cycle of life, all rendered in an exquisite line-drawing style that's elemental in its simplicity. If all that makes it essentially art house animation, then so be it, but this beautiful, handcrafted movie is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will linger long in the imagination.

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7.5/10

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Credits

Crew

rolenameDirectorMichael Dudok de Wit

Details

Theatrical distributor

Studio Canal

Released on

2017-05-26

Languages

English

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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