The Red Turtle - Review

For those worried that Studio Ghibli's first co-production would signal a decline in quality, you may cease your worrying. Despite its distinct style, this one is positively brimming with the stuff that makes them oh so loveable: touching familial relationships; depiction of the interdependence of nature; thoughtfully realised magic-realism; and above all, sumptuously beautiful animation. Indeed, London based, Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit's poetically minimalist silent fable fits in fairly snugly in with the rest of the Studio Ghibli canon. 

The story centres on a nameless castaway who - after a ravishing opening sequence featuring some impressive Hokusai-esque waves - finds himself stranded on a remote island. Form here, aided by some charming crabs, he attempts to leave the island on a raft he constructs but finds his efforts thwarted by the titular turtle. After a sort of The Old Man and the Sea style battle of wills resolves itself, things take a fantastical turn when the turtle does something similar to the goldfish in Ponyo. 

Like many Studio Ghibli films, this is one that manages to balance dreamlike fantasy with intricate, precise naturalism. Here, we are treated to some wondrous dream sequences - a wave frozen in time and a soaring escape from the island come to mind - which momentarily lift the film to more surreal, supernatural heights. Importantly though, the film is also interspersed with a detailed depiction of the world that our characters inhabit: the rustling of the trees; the lapping of the waves on the shore; and the baby turtles making their ungainly way to the water's edge. These moments serve to ground the film, emphasising the characters place as a part of the island, dependent on it for their livelihood. 

Above all though, this one is about the positively enchanting visuals (a seamless blend of analogue and digital) which from the reserved Tintin-esque features of our characters to the sparse landscapes of endless, belittling beaches, oceans, and skies, are all about simplicity and restraint. Indeed, this is an unremitting visual delight of soft monochrome nights, peach tinted sunrises, and verdant forests: an exercise in uncluttered clarity.