Memoir of a Snailis Elliots second feature after 2009 animationMary And Max, and Oscar-winning 2004 shortHarvey Krumpet.
Deadline sat down with Elliot in Annecy as the feature kicks off its festival career.
DEADLINE:Its discombobulating watchingMemoir of Snail.
‘Memoir of a Snail’IFC Films
On the one hand, there is the childlike appeal of the cute-looking lead characters and whimsical controls.
On the other, there are the dark adult themes.
but that was never the intention.
From day one in film school, I never wanted to make films for children.
I dont relate to children.
I was always attracted to darker subject-matter.
I wanted to tell biographies about my family and friends, and they all had afflictions and problems.
Then to suddenly see something challenging and confronting…
I do love to manipulate the audience and sort of push those boundaries.
And make people feel uncomfortable at times, but its knowing when to stop.
DEADLINE:Youve said you take inspiration from people in your life.
Is Grace based on any real-life characters?
ELLIOT:Theres two.
Theres my mum, who is a reformed hoarder.
She was never a hoarder in the sense of being unhygienic.
It wasnt filled to the ceiling, but it was an issue.
When does a collection become a hoard?
Its when it sort of interferes with your life and you feel ashamed.
I became fascinated by how people get into this situation.
What is the root cause.
Then I started watching all those horrible, exploitive documentaries on hoarders.
Theyre all quite cruel.
Shes now the most extroverted show-off youll ever come across.
Theres a lot of myself in there too.
The Gilbert character is essentially me.
DEADLINE:Gilbert ends up being placed with an ultra-conservative, religious cult-like family.
Thats not something youve experienced, is it?
ELLIOT:No, no, not but I had friends who were subjected to gay conversion therapy.
But its not all based on fact.
Pinky is a very fictional character.
I know a woman called Pinky but shes nowhere near as extroverted.
I always knew that I wanted to make a film about an eccentric old woman at some point.
I love films likeHarold and Maude.
I liked the idea of Pinky having a bit of mystery to her.
Pinky became the comic relief in a way.
Grace is such a passive, inactive character.
DEADLINE:The movie has a starry voice cast led by Sarah Snook as Grace Puddle.
How did you manage to secure these big names given you didnt have a big budget?
ELLIOT:All the actors are from Melbourne.
Sarah just lives down the road.
They all know my work and that its low budget before we even approach them.
I knew I wanted Sarah really early.
Even beforeSuccession, I had her in my head.
Sarahs quite self-deprecating, and humble, and very down to earth.
And thats sort of what Grace is.
WhenSuccessionexploded, we thought, Were never going to get her.
How did that come about?
ELLIOT:He came in really late.
I always have a cameo.
They dont even have to be an actor.
They can be a sports star or a celebrity.
DEADLINE:Here in Annecy, theres a lot of anime and it seems to be on the rise.
Where do you stand on the stop-motion versus anime debate?
I think a little bit of that has to do with the rebellion against AI, particularly now.
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that theres a glut of CGI animation.
Aardman have also been a wonderful inspiration to everybody.
For us, its important that the fingerprints in the clay are kept.
It reminds the audience that these are tangible, tactile things and theyre real.
In this film, theres no CGI.
Even the fire is yellow cellophane, and the smoke is cotton wool.
It authentic and its very traditional in the way its made.
Of course, we used digital technology such as LED lights and digital cameras.
So, we certainly embrace new technology.
DEADLINE:How long did it take you make the film from start to finish?
ELLIOT:Eight years, but then Covid slowed everything down.
The production time was actually quite quick.
We started pre-production in late 2022.
It was a 32-week shoot, which for stop motion is really quick.
I use voice-over because lip sync is so tight and theres also no walking.
My style of animation is very economical and minimal.
I hope the next film is not going to take so long.
DEADLINE:Do you have ideas for your next film?
ELLIOT:I want to make a road film about a character who travels across Australia.
I think shell be another elderly woman.
DEADLINE:You won the Oscar with short filmHarvey Krumpet.
Do you have Oscar hopes for this film?
Im happy with one.
Im probably more interested in supporting my crew.
A lot of them are emerging filmmakers and theyre all here in Annecy.
They desperately want work but know I wont have another film for a while.
IFC, which has rights for America, is very optimistic about how it will go there.
They keep telling me that things have changed and that theres more awareness.
