The Cannes Film Festival is one of the premier events for feature-length film debuts and later this month, the film festival is diving into the world of anime by highlighting anime director Mamoru Hosoda in his latest feature Belle. Having previously worked on hits such as Mirai, The Boy And The Beast, Summer Wars, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Mamoru is set to once again dive into the world of anime with a unique story that sees a girl finding herself in an online world that allows one of her greatest talents to shine as a beast waits in the wings.
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The film itself will debut on July 15th alongside another animated movie in the French computer generation animated film of The Summit of the Gods. For those who feel like they’re missing out on the upcoming release of Mamoru’s latest epic tale, GKIDS has licensed the movie created by Studio Chizu for a North American release later this year in the winter. Using some stunning animation to live up to the level of quality that was seen in the previous works of Hosoda, it’s clear that Belle will be one of the biggest anime movies to release this year.
If you haven’t heard of Belle before, here’s the official description from Studio Chizu:
“Our protagonist, Suzu, is a 17-year old high school girl, who lives in the countryside of Kochi Prefecture with her father, after losing her mother at a young age. She loves singing with her mother more than anything else, but as a result of her mother’s death was no longer able to sing. It wasn’t long before she and her father grew more and more distant from each other, and Suzu closed her heart to the rest of the world.”
Studio Chizu continued to breakdown the summary of their next big movie:
“When Suzu felt that writing music was her only purpose left in life, she then discovers the massive online space known as ‘U,’ where she takes on her persona, Belle. Another me. Another reality. We are no longer limited to a single world. Suzu quickly realizes that when she is inside ‘U’ as her avatar, Belle, she can sing quite naturally. As she continues to showcase her own music in the virtual world, she fast becomes the rising star of ‘U.’ Nonetheless, that surprise is short-lived. Suddenly, a mysterious dragon-shaped creature appears before her…”
Are you hyped to see the arrival of Mamoru Hosoda’s next big hit? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Studio Chizu.
