After his ship is caught in a storm, a man wakes up on a deserted island. Determined to leave, he builds a makeshift boat and takes off. But a mysterious force destroys his raft, despite his many attempts. He ends up nose-to-nose with a curious red giant turtle, which does him no harm but prevents him from leaving the island...

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The Red Turtle marks the first collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki’s renowned Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit (Oscar winner for Best Animated Short in 2000 ) and the French production company Wild Bunch. Highly acclaimed at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, this almost silent film is an environmentalist fable wrapped in quiet and haunting sensitivity. Yet it is somewhat disappointing that the wonderful premise (a man, a turtle, an island) develops into a more classic story of family and the cycle of life. Although The Red Turtle is not as good as some of animation master Miyazaki’s other works, it remains a beautiful film with a very strong identity.