Sony Pictures Classics has finally announced a release date for A Magnificent Life (Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol), the animated English-language feature biopic film on the life of 60-year-old playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol.
The film, starring Laurent Lafitte and César Award winner Géraldine Pailhas, had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section and has since been nominated for Best Feature (Independent) at the 2026 Annie Awards.
Written and directed by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville, The Illusionist), A Magnificent Life will now open in select theaters nationwide on March 27, 2026.
Here is the synopsis: In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE magazine commissions a weekly column about Pagnol’s childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing. Realizing his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol starts doubting his ability to pursue his work. That is until Little Marcel – the young boy he used to be – appears to him as if by magic. Together, they will explore Marcel Pagnol’s incredible life and bring back to life his most cherished encounters and memories.
A Magnificent Life reunites Chomet with Sony Pictures Classics, who previously distributed Chomet’s Oscar®-nominated films The Illusionist and The Triplets of Belleville.
Watch the teaser trailer for A Magnificent Life above
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