‘Mary Anning': Swiss Animation Unearths the Childhood Backstory of a Legendary Fossil Pioneer in Annecy Playing Feature

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Mary Anning has been part of paleontology's history since its very beginning. Yet this inspiring character's childhood remains largely unfamiliar to the public. A self-taught English fossil collector, Anning began her journey in the county of Dorset, England, in the small village of Lyme Regis, where she and her family discovered Jurassic marine fossil beds, one of the first major paleontological discoveries of the 19th century.
Her story as a young, dedicated fossil collector inspired Swiss director Marcel Barelli, whose own passion for paleontology followed him into adulthood. Backed by his long-time collaborator and producer Nicolas Burlet (Nadasdy Films), Barelli felt it was the right time to embark on the journey of making a Swiss animated feature.
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As 'Mary Anning' makes its world premiere this Monday at the Annecy Animation Festival, Variety spoke with Barelli about his debut feature, his eagerness to share powerful child-driven stories and the state of Swiss animation, which has a long history but still struggles to achieve industry-level status.
How did you start your animated journey?
My mother always pushed me to draw, saying that with a pen and paper, you can never be bored. But I never thought of it as a profession. I've always been a huge fan of cinema, not necessarily animation, because beyond Disney, I didn't really see what else there was.
It was only a little later, once I decided to stop my chemistry studies, that I realized I wanted to make cinema. By pure chance, I discovered the works of Swiss animator Georges Schwizgebel, and that inspired me to start my own independent projects.
Mary Anning is your first feature, after 16 years of making animated short films with Nadasdy Films. What compelled you to take this leap?
After many years and many shorts, my producer Nicolas Burlet told me, 'Marcel, it is time for you to do something bigger.' I am a cautious type, going one step at a time. This felt like the next step in my career.
Paleontology is another of my passions, and Mary Anning is a major figure in that field. Yet in every book about dinosaurs, she is used as the 'feminine quota' even though she never actually discovered dinosaurs, but other fossils. So I knew her story since I was little. Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit her village and her home, which has been turned into a museum about her life and paleontology. Fossil collectors still walk the shores of Lyme Regis today, and I thought this might be a good story to share with young and aspiring scientists.
Mary Anning has been the subject of adult fiction recently, but your film is aimed at children. Can you elaborate on that choice?
I love that young character, and above all, I realized in my research that there aren't many real young heroes brought to the screen. Besides Anne Frank, there are no real-life stories about children. We see many fictional characters, but almost no biopics focusing on childhood or children who accomplished great things at a young age.
Even a film like 'Hola Frida!', built around Frida Kahlo's youth, is a way to bring forth a well-known figure who isn't remembered for her childhood accomplishments. With Mary Anning, I thought there was potential for such a story.
Children are often overlooked by history, but in recent years, they've taken more space in public debate and politics, with figures such as Greta Thunberg. Sharing this striking story, almost an anachronistic one, of a girl from a low social background shunned by the educated class, in an era where women had few rights, yet who still manages to fulfill her desire for freedom and knowledge, that spoke to me. I hope it can speak to many children today.
Her desires often clash with the world of adults, especially the Reverend's strict views on women and science. Why was it important to depict this opposition?
Part of it was a choice, and part of it comes naturally once you start writing. She's young, he's the oldest character. It also embodies the rivalry between children's and adults' understandings of the world. Children are more open-minded and ready to accept change, to be amazed and to grasp transformation without clinging to the status quo.
As was pointed out to me, and even if that wasn't planned at the beginning of the film, we live in a world where even scientific achievements are threatened. It feels crazy to me that certain things are now questioned, and it's disturbing to see this comeback in some societies.
Regarding the visual style of the film, how was your collaboration with artistic director and graphic designer Marjolaine Perreten?
This is the first film I've made that way, as I generally handle all the formatting. But I consider my style a bit cartoonish and naive, and I thought it didn't suit a much bigger project. I wanted a style that better suited the subject. Since Marjolaine and I are very good friends and colleagues, I naturally thought of her. I'm delighted she agreed. As a filmmaker herself, there was no guarantee she could take the time for this endeavour.
In the end, she created the Bible, designed the visual style, directed the artistic vision, monitored the sets and managed everything perfectly.
Her style brings forth great children's worlds, reminiscent of literature and picture books, with soft, round designs that balance the harsh nature of these cliffs of mud and clay swept by storms. Thanks to Marjolaine's style, the film doesn't necessarily soften the story, but it soothes the setting and clearly signals the intended audience.
Can you elaborate on your directorial choices?
While writing the film [with co-writers Pierre-Luc Granjon and Magalie Pouzal] and building it with Marjolaine, I had three films in mind: 'Billy Elliot' for the spirit, 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' and Yasujirō Ozu's 'Good Morning,' which fascinates me for its rare portrayal of rebellious children in a domestic setting. Ozu has a unique way of staging and framing, especially for children, alternating wide shots and close-ups to convey emotion.
For 'Mary Anning,' I opted for relatively simple staging, little camera movement, close-ups and profiles. This also stemmed from the lack of experienced animated feature teams in Switzerland.
To manage with these constraints, we opted for 2D rigging and animated puppets in Toon Boom rather than traditional 2D. It's more of a TV series approach, but we tried to give the film a polished look. Industry people may notice, but I don't make films for the industry—I make them for the audience.
These choices allowed us to focus on what mattered, without overreaching. In fact, if you remove the Belgian co-production from the credits—who handled rigs, mixing and voice recording—it's almost a short film crew. Very few people were involved, which kept the project at a human scale.
The film's music has a striking uniqueness, rarely heard in children's features. What drove that rather 'punk' choice?
It was one of the main debate topics during production. People love it, people hate it—and I love that it sparks such discussion.
From the start, I wanted anachronistic music to match Mary's slightly punk rock style. I knew Shyle Zalewski's work as a graphic novelist and cartoonist, but I discovered their music by accident. I was quickly convinced. They sent me hundreds of tracks. I tried several, which were re-recorded, and I asked them to compose the end credits too. I don't know the exact musical terms, but we described it as punk, teen lo-fi rock—and I like it that way.
Are there details in the film that people might miss that are important to you?
Plenty, mostly nerdy paleontological ones. If you wait until the very end, you'll see the first-ever illustration of a prehistoric scene: Duria Antiquior, drawn by geologist Henry De la Beche in 1830, based on Anning's fossil finds. De la Beche was her friend and created the drawing to raise money for her research.
There are many such details, like Ms. Philpot's drawings using fossilized ink, and other paleontological nuggets hidden throughout.
What would you say is the state of Swiss animation today? How has it changed throughout your career?I can recount the history of Swiss animated features on my two hands, so bringing 'Mary Anning' to Annecy is a miracle. I've seen two trends: more talented artists emerging from art schools, but funding isn't keeping up. There's no longer enough support for short films like I made at the start of my career, or like Schwizgebel made.
Recently, measures have been taken to reduce or limit access to funding. That's a real problem, not just for animation but the whole industry. Meanwhile, the number of artists and directors is increasing. If we want a real Swiss animation industry, we need to act.
Not being in the EU limits access to MEDIA programs and international collaboration, making it harder to produce big projects like features. Even Oscar-nominated directors like Claude Barras still struggle.
I think there's a lack of confidence in Swiss cinema from policymakers, not seeing the long-term cultural and economic value it can bring.
With 'Mary Anning,' we succeeded. I hope we can do it again, with the same talented team. I love cinema, and I love sharing films with the audience, starting with my own children. I hope I can keep doing that for a long time.
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