The Red Turtle

Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (Only Yesterday; Grave of the Fireflies) gets credited as artistic producer on this lovely, hand-drawn marvel, a film that carries a rare seal-of-approval co-production credit from the semi-defunct Japanese animation studio. Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit makes his feature film debut with this dialogue-free parable about a castaway who forms a special relationship with the titular creature, a large reptile who transforms into a literal force-of-nature maiden. It’s about as beautifully simple and lithe as an epic visual feast can get, with Ghibli-esque themes about our spiritual connection to nature kept high in the mix, and an overarching bittersweetness that keeps the fantasy grounded in human emotion. The only Ghibli-esque narrative standby it sorely lacks: a strong and interesting female character with some personality and agency—the only woman we see here is more of a sexed-up force of nature than anything else. D.B.