The Red Turtle (2016)

A man is shipwrecked on a deserted island and encounters a red turtle, which changes his life.

Director:

Michael Dudok de Wit

Writers:

Michael Dudok de Wit (story), Pascale Ferran (screenplay)

Stars:

Emmanuel Garijo, Tom Hudson, Baptiste Goy

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Emmanuel Garijo	...	The Father (voice)
Tom Hudson	...	The Son (young adult) (voice)
Baptiste Goy	...	The Son (child) (voice)
Axel Devillers	...	The Baby (voice)
Barbara Beretta	...	The Mother (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maud Brethenoux	...	Mother (voice)
Mickaël Dumoussaud	...	Father (voice)
Elie Tertois	...	Son (voice)

Storyline

Surrounded by the immense and furious ocean, a shipwrecked mariner battles all alone for his life with the relentless towering waves. Right on the brink of his demise, the man set adrift by the raging tempest washes ashore on a small and deserted tropical island of sandy beaches, timid animal inhabitants and a slender but graceful swaying bamboo forest. Alone, famished, yet, determined to break free from his Eden-like prison, after foraging for food and fresh water and encouraged by the dense forest, the stranded sailor builds a raft and sets off to the wide sea, however, an indistinguishable adversary prevents him from escaping. Each day, the exhausted man never giving up hope will attempt to make a new, more improved raft, but the sea is vast with wonderful and mysterious creatures and the island's only red turtle won't let the weary survivor escape that easily. Is this the heartless enemy?

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Plot Keywords:

turtle | human nature relationship | nature | animal becoming a human | isolation | 

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Taglines:

One of the Best Films of the Year! A Knockout!

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Genres:

Animation | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some thematic elements and peril

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Belgium Japan Poland Netherlands Hungary UK Germany China Thailand Italy Denmark USA

Language:

None

Release Date:

20 January 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

La tortuga roja

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,010, 22 January 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$920,057, 19 May 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$787,712, 19 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prima Linea Productions, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only six animators from Studio Ghibli worked on this film.

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Quotes

The Son (young adult): Hey!

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Crazy Credits

The Studio Ghibli logo is red instead of the traditional blue, to honor the title character.

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2017)

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Soundtracks

L'au revoir
Conducted by Oleg Kondratenko
Performed by F.A.M.E.'S. Project (aka The Macedonian Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Music By Laurent Perez Del Mar

User Reviews

It deserves all the praise the academy gives it.

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main . . . ." John Donne

Think you need all those material goods? Try being a castaway as in Dutchman Michael Dudok de Wit's animation,The Red Turtle. Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, the nameless protagonist has little to work with, this time bamboo forest rather than a volley ball. And no dialogue, not even talking to himself.

As is clear from the figurative content, everyman may be an island yet needs happiness from the simplest possessions such as his ingenuity for survival and Nature. The unrealistic answer, despite the real challenges he has faced, is a companion given of the red turtle he upends. A little magic realism never hurts when you're alone.

The outline of the story has been told many times from Robinson Crusoe to Mosquito Coast with the newer Swiss Army Man and all marooned heroes in between. Yet this House of Ghibli animation, with the blessing of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, minimizes the details into simple survival, for which a branch or two and friendly Nature such as clowning crabs and tricky turtles make a difference, if you can be beloved by them.

The magical introduction of a mate into the equation certifies that community and love are essential for survival. Just let Mother Nature do her work.

She does, most often to the benefit of the survivors, but an occasional out of control set piece is here to say only so much of this sweetness can be tolerated. In one piece, nature takes a considerable toll on the island and its few inhabitants. Like Adam and Eve, the hero and his magical mate suffer under Nature's seemingly capricious temper.

Although the allegorical implications of harmony with nature are obvious in the film's minimal activities, it's the simplicity of the line and color design and the lack of dialogue that broadcast the need to strip us of our material load: simplify, simplify. Although we can't avoid the catastrophes Nature or human nature will bring to us, we will be happiest to be at one with Nature and ourselves.

The Red Turtle deserves its Oscar nomination and the experience of those with whom we share its beauty, young and old.