A Magnificent Life

Sylvain Chomet's first animated feature in fifteen years, and its subject is Marcel Pagnol. At the height of his fame, Pagnol is commissioned by the editor of a women's magazine to write a serial about his childhood, his Provence and his first loves. As he starts the opening pages, the child he used to be, little Marcel, appears beside him. The structure rests on that doubling: the man writing and the child being written stand in the same frame and argue with each other. Chomet's line is hand-drawn as always, working through exaggerated bodies and architecture, and the Provençal landscapes are its most lavish element. The project began at the initiative of Pagnol's grandson Nicolas Pagnol. Stefano Bollani wrote the music. It runs ninety minutes and is a co-production of France, Luxembourg and Belgium. It was presented as a special screening at Cannes on 17 May 2025 and opened in France on 15 October 2025. Who it is for: viewers who love Chomet's visual world and literary biography. Who it is not for: anyone unfamiliar with Pagnol, or who will find the emotional register too sweet.