Marcel the Shell With Shoes On ticket giveaway: See the film early and for free

Fans of the kind of auteur-driven horror that helped make A24’s name as a powerhouse distribution boutique — most recently, the likes of Midsommar, The Hereditary, XAnd Men — may have been a little nonplussed over the trailer for its latest release, a feature-length version of a viral YouTube phenomenon that started in 2010. Marcel the Shell with Shoes The series began with a series video stop-motion interviews featuring the little googly shell voiced by Jenny Slate. A book version, written by Slate and her then-husband — Dean Fleischer-Camp, who also directed the YouTube videos — followed in 2011. Now the feature-length expansion is coming to theaters, and Polygon’s ticket giveaway in 15 major cities can help you see it early and for free.

Horror obviously isn’t the only thing A24 does — this is the same company that put out Everything, Everywhere at the Same Time, Lady Bird, Uncut Gems, The Green KnightAnd ZolaAll these movies are made from very different perspectives and voices. However, Marcel may be the company’s most consciously cute and whimsical release to date. The film is designed as a mockumentary where Fleischer-Camp meets and talks to the shell, eventually helping him launch a nationwide search for his “family,” the other shells and objects he once knew from a household whose human inhabitants broke up. Isabella Rossellini co-stars as the voice of Marcel’s grandmother, an older shell observing the proceedings and looking after Marcel.

Head to Polygon’s giveaway page to sign up for free tickets to screenings in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. Each city will give away 50 tickets.

Your RSVP will not guarantee you admission. Seating is strictly limited. There is no guarantee of seating.