Memoir of a Snail

Grace Pudel lives in Melbourne, collecting snails and closing herself off after being separated from her twin brother. Adam Elliot tells it not as children's animation but as a life story, loosely fed by his own. Development ran across eight years. Shooting took place in Melbourne in May 2023, entirely with clay puppets, frame by frame. Sarah Snook voices Grace, with Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana and Magda Szubanski alongside her. It premiered at Annecy in 2024 and won the Cristal Award for a feature film. At the 97th Academy Awards it was nominated for Best Animated Feature, becoming the second R-rated animated film nominated after Anomalisa. Rotten Tomatoes has 95 percent of 140 reviews positive and Metacritic sits at 81. Who it is for: viewers who believe animation can carry grief, and who love handmade clay work. Who it is not for: anyone planning to watch with children. The film deals directly with abuse, death and isolation and softens none of it.