Directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit. Rated G

Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit won an Oscar in 2000 for his short “Father and Daughter” and reportedly didn’t consider undertaking a feature until he received an invitation from Studio Ghibli to produce the venerable outfit’s first non-Japanese venture. The Red Turtle is a very good fit indeed.

The artist’s original story, executed by hand on a computer tablet, is simplicity itself. A sailor, of indeterminate origin and time period, washes up on a tiny tropical atoll. Amazed to be alive at all, he explores the island, finds food, and—aside from some playful sand crabs, seabirds, and the odd sea lion—is completely alone. The film favours a muted palette, softly contoured planes, and a gentle orchestral score mixed with the omnipresent sounds of nature. There’s no dialogue, except for occasional outbursts of the word “Hey!”

The island is covered by spindly trees, and the man sets himself the task of building a succession of rafts, each bigger than the last, and each doomed to mysterious failure. This has something to do with the arrival, almost a half-hour into this 70-minute tone poem, of the titular tortoise (and the addition of more colour). To say more about this would spoil some surprises, but the frequent intrusion of lyrical, usually monochromatic, dream sequences is a tip-off that we have washed up in a land of existential metaphors, many confronting the uneasy relationship of humans with the natural world.

The conflicts presented are few, and the ravishingly beautiful tale is relatively safe for children, although they might miss much of its subtle commentary on accepting and pushing against our limitations. The air of bittersweet melancholy can make adults feel small, as well.