Mamoru Hosoda’s New Film Belle Releases First Trailer

Belle, the next big anime feature film from Mamoru Hosoda, has released its first trailer! Hosoda is one of the most prominent directors among anime fans because of past releases such as Summer Wars, Wolf Children, Mirai, and even Digimon: The Movie. This makes each one of his new projects more exciting than ever as each one has been decidedly unique from what had come before. Now that excitement is brewing among anime fans once again as we have gotten our first real tease of what’s next to come from the monumental director and creator.

As part of a celebration of Hosoda’s Studio Chizu’s tenth anniversary, Belle will be the next film where Mamoru Hosoda serves as director, writer, and is credited with the original story. Scheduled for a debut in theaters in Japan later this Summer, you can check out the first trailer for Belle in the video above and the first key visual for the film as shared by Studio Chizu’s official Twitter account below:

Studio Chizu describes Belle as such, “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. 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.”

The synopsis continues as such, “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…”

What do you think of this first look at Belle? Excited to see what Mamoru Hosoda has cooked up next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!