Photo: IFC Films
Though many animated films in 2024 were big, one made a huge impact in the winter season: Memoir of a Snail. This stop motion feature, from award-winning director Adam Elliot, brought a mature and heartfelt story about self-confidence and family. Through the perspective of the melancholic Grace Pudel, Memoir of a Snail not only stuck with audiences emotionally, but it garnered huge critical acclaim.
Since its debut at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Elliot’s tragicomedy is continuing its big awards run. Recently, the film won awards at Annecy and BFI London Film Festival. This year, it’s up for grabs at both the Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature Film.
To celebrate its success, the Museum of Moving Image (MoMI) revealed its newest exhibit: Clayography in Motion: Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail. Open until March 30, 2025, the installation includes a variety of handmade puppets exclusively from the film, presented alongside film excerpts. In addition, visitors can make their own stop-motion animations using 2-D characters and film sets from the movie.
From January 3 to 4, the Museum also presented special screenings of Elliot’s earlier feature Mary and Max, and five shorts including his Oscar-winning Harvie Krumpet. Elliot was also present, in-person, to give us an exclusive tour of the exhibit while giving us insight into how the claymation process was done.
“I think there’s so many challenges in stop-motion,” Elliot said. “For example, the reason the characters don’t have legs is [because] walking is very easy to do. So, we choose to do the Muppet technique.”
Some scenes in Memoir of a Snail were more complicated as Elliot puts it. “Lip syncs [were a challenge]. Incredibly difficult, getting the characters’ mouths to the actor’s voices, but I think the shot in the film that was the most challenging was that opening montage where the camera glides through the hoard,” Elliot stated.
While it was incredibly difficult to put everything together, the choice of going practical seemed to be necessary. Elliot’s overall perspective, while keeping the story’s structure prioritized, heavily focused on maintaining a sense of humanity through practicality.
“There’s not one single frame of CGI in there,” Elliot said. “Even things like, the cigarette smoke was cotton wool. The fire was yellow, cellophane, and all the tears in the film are actually made of sexual lubricant.”
Memoir of a Snail’s use of handcrafted elements was further reinforced to emphasize Elliot’s important message. “At the end of the film, we put that quote, “This film was made by human beings”, just to remind the audience that this was not CGI,” Elliot included. “I think we’re drowning in CGI, but ultimately it does come down to the story. It really doesn’t matter whether it’s clay or 2D, 3D, whatever. It’s really the story that is paramount.”
By putting himself and inspiration from his life into developing this film, Elliot began to see how real these characters were. When asked about a fictionalized live-action casting, he still wanted to keep his original cast.
“In my head I don’t imagine them as clay characters,” Elliot said. “I actually like even now I know what Grace looks like as a real person… One trick we use is empathy. What’s been happening, which is really lovely, particularly with Grace, is getting so many letters and emails from people who feel they are Grace or identify with her or she reminds them of a sister or an auntie or whoever.”
However, Elliot sees Memoir of a Snail to be one of his final films. During the post-screening conversation, Elliot stated that he planned a slate of nine features, with Memoir of a Snail being the seventh.
“I came up with a very pretentious idea when I was at film school. In 1996 to spend my life, making a trilogy of trilogies which would contain three short shorts, three long shorts, and three features,” Elliot brought up. “I’ve done two features, so I’ve only got two films left and then I can die.”
Through his work, Elliot has tried to surpass himself by understanding the world in his own meticulous way. “With each film you do try and push yourself and just as you grow older too, you become wiser. I’ve been touring with this film now for six months or so. I’ve been all around the world and traveled with my notebook,” Elliot said.
“You have journals and notebooks, but mine are really detailed,” Elliot continued. “Like I collect smells when I’m feeling sounds and my films. Then, they become my ingredients for my screenplays.”
Clayography in Motion: Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail will run until March 30, 2025.
Learn more and get tickets here.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.