Yesterday my mom dragged me to Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, a film I assumed would be a cheap cash grab capitalizing on a viral video from, like, ten years ago. But it's actually, um, a delight?? Within ten minutes I realized it was going to be one of my favorite films of the year, next to Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and Turning Red. It's a charming, thoughtful film about a child and their grandmother, featuring spot-on visual storytelling, Ghibli-esque set design, and even a meditation on the ethics of documentary filmmaking.

Needless to say I recommend it. I would especially recommend it to anyone interested in storyboarding, because the gags? On point.

Uh, anyway! I actually have a lot to say about kimono, how drawing them makes me feel connected to my Japanese roots,  how fascinating they are to assemble, all those layers and clever ways of building form . . . but apparently I just had a lot to say about the shell movie lol. Please go see it.