Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle Releases First International Trailer

Studio Chizu has debuted the first international trailer for Mamoru Hosoda’s newest film, Belle! Hosoda has made a major name for himself among anime fans for feature film projects such as Summer Wars, The Boy and the Beast, and the most recently released Mirai, and now the prominent director is returning for a brand new feature film project. A celebration of Studio Chizu‘s tenth anniversary, this new film will be a collaborative work between Hosoda and a number of creators such as Academy Award nominated studio Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea) and legendary Disney animator Jin Kim.

This new film, Belle, will be officially making its debut in Japan later this Summer on July 16th, but has yet to confirm any international release plans as of this writing. Greasing the wheels in this matter is the first international trailer for the new film featuring English subtitles and the newest addition to the cast, Kaho Nakamura, as the voice of the titular Belle. Check out the trailer below:

The rest of the previously confirmed cast includes the likes of Ryo Narita as Shinobu Hisatake, Shota Sometani as Shinjiro Chikami, Tina Tamashiro as Ruka Watanabe, Rira Ikuta as Hiroka Betsuyaku, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Justian, Kenjiro Tsuda as Jelinek, Mami Koyama as Swan, and Mamoru Miyano as both Muitaro Hitokawa and Tokoraemaru. Mamoru Hosoda is credited with the original story and serves as writer and director for this new film.

Studio Chizu officially 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.”

The synopsis continues as such, 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…”

What do you think of this newest trailer for Belle? Are you excited for Mamoru Hosoda’s next film? 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!