It’s a weird title. Honestly, if you saw My Life as a Zucchini scrolling through a streaming menu without context, you’d probably think it’s some goofy veggie-tales knockoff. You’d be wrong. Dead wrong.
The film—originally titled Ma vie de Courgette in France—is probably one of the most emotionally dense pieces of stop-motion animation ever made. It isn't just a "kids' movie" about an orphan. It’s a masterclass in how to handle trauma without being exploitative. It’s short. Barely 66 minutes. But those 66 minutes pack more punch than most three-hour live-action dramas.
I remember when it first started making waves at Cannes back in 2016. People were stunned. It wasn’t just the bright blue hair of the main character, Icare (who insists on being called Zucchini), or the tactile, clay-like textures of the puppets. It was the writing. Celine Sciamma, who later directed Portrait of a Lady on Fire, wrote the screenplay. You can feel her fingerprints all over it. She has this way of making childhood feel real—messy, scary, but also strangely resilient.
The Raw Reality of My Life as a Zucchini
Most Western animation treats "orphanhood" as a plot device to get the hero on a quest. Think Disney. In My Life as a Zucchini, the tragedy is the starting point, not a backstory. Icare accidentally causes the death of his alcoholic mother. That is heavy stuff for a PG-13 film.
The movie doesn’t shy away from the gritty details of why kids end up in foster care. We meet Simon, Ahmed, Jujube, Alice, and Beatrice. Each one has a "file." One has a father in jail; another has a mother who was deported. One child deals with OCD-like behaviors as a coping mechanism for abuse.
It’s blunt.
"We're all the same," Simon says at one point. "There’s no one left to love us."
That line guts you. But the brilliance of Director Claude Barras is that he doesn't let the movie sink into "misery porn." He uses the stop-motion medium to create a buffer. Because they are puppets with oversized eyes and colorful hair, we can look at their pain without looking away. If this were live-action, it might be too much to bear.
Why the Animation Style Matters
The puppets in My Life as a Zucchini have these massive, expressive eyes. They’re painted with a slight sheen. It makes them look like they’re perpetually on the verge of tears, or perhaps just wide-eyed with wonder.
- The heads are disproportionately large.
- The movements are slightly jittery, reminding you of the human hands that moved them.
- The sets feel lived-in and slightly weathered.
It’s the opposite of the "uncanny valley" problem we see in big-budget CGI. There’s a soulfulness in the imperfection. When Zucchini holds onto a beer can—the only thing he has left of his mother—the texture of the crushed metal looks real. It feels heavy.
A Different Kind of Hero’s Journey
Zucchini isn't a hero in the traditional sense. He doesn't save the day. He doesn't find a magical kingdom. He just tries to find a reason to keep going.
The arrival of Camille changes the dynamic of the foster home. She’s sharp, observant, and guarded. The "romance" between her and Zucchini is handled with such incredible delicacy. It’s not about grand gestures; it’s about sharing a secret or standing up to a bully.
There’s a scene where the kids go on a ski trip. They see a mother interacting with her child. They just stand there, frozen, watching. They aren't jealous in a mean way; they are studying a species they no longer belong to. It’s a quiet observation of "normalcy" from the outside.
The Police Officer Raymond
Raymond is the heart of the adult world in the film. He’s the cop who brings Zucchini to the orphanage. Usually, in these types of stories, the adults are either saints or monsters. Raymond is just a guy. He’s lonely. He has his own baggage.
His evolving relationship with Zucchini is the anchor. It shows that family isn't something you're just born into—it's something you can build out of the wreckage of your past.
What the Critics Got Right (And Wrong)
When the film hit the US market, distributed by GKIDS, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. It lost to Zootopia.
Now, Zootopia is great. It’s a polished, smart social commentary. But My Life as a Zucchini is visceral. Some critics at the time complained that it was too short. They felt the ending came too quickly.
I’d argue the length is its strength.
It doesn't overstay its welcome. It doesn't fill the gaps with "wacky sidekick" energy. It gives you exactly what you need to understand these children and then lets them have their privacy. It’s a slice-of-life that happens to be carved out of very hard wood.
- The French version features different nuances in the voice acting (Gaspard Schlatter is incredible).
- The English dub features Will Forte and Nick Offerman, who bring a different, slightly more dry humor to it.
- Both versions work, but the original French feels a bit more grounded in the specific social reality of the setting.
The Lasting Impact of the Story
We don't talk enough about how "middle-tier" animation is dying. Everything now is either a $200 million blockbuster or a YouTube short. My Life as a Zucchini proves that you can make a global impact with a small budget and a focused vision.
It tackles themes that most live-action films are too scared to touch. It talks about sexual curiosity in children (in a very innocent, questioning way), the fear of being "unadoptable," and the specific kind of brotherhood that forms in state care.
It’s also surprisingly funny. Simon, the resident "tough guy," is a fountain of misinformation about how babies are made and how the world works. His bluster is a shield, sure, but his jokes are genuinely good.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you haven’t seen it, or if you’re looking to introduce someone to the world of international animation, here is the best way to approach it.
Watch the original French version first. Subtitles might feel like a chore to some, but the cadence of the French language fits the melancholic tone of the film perfectly. The English dub is fine, but some of the grit gets polished off in the translation.
Check out the source material. The movie is based on the novel Autobiographie d'une Courgette by Gilles Paris. The book is actually much darker than the movie. If you found the film moving, the book provides a deeper, albeit more painful, look into Zucchini’s headspace.
Look into the studio, Blue Spirit. They’ve done some other incredible work. Seeing the evolution of their style helps you appreciate the technical achievement of the puppet work here.
Use it as a conversation starter. If you have older kids (10+), this is a fantastic film to watch together. It opens the door to talking about empathy, different family structures, and how to handle big feelings. It doesn't lecture; it just shows.
My Life as a Zucchini remains a benchmark for what's possible when you treat children as complex human beings rather than just a target demographic. It’s a small film with a massive heart, and honestly, we need more of that. It’s about the fact that even if you start out as a bruised, discarded vegetable, you can still find a place in the garden.
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How to Find It Today
Currently, the film is often available on platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or through the Criterion Channel, depending on your region. Because it was an indie darling, it rotates through streaming services frequently. If you can find the Blu-ray, the "making-of" features are actually worth your time. Seeing how they painted the eyes and rigged the puppets makes the emotional weight of the performance even more impressive.
Check your local library’s digital catalog like Libby or Kanopy too. They often carry GKIDS titles when the big streamers don't.