Mamoru Hosoda’s highly-anticipated Belle made waves at the Cannes International Film Festival ahead of its July 16 Japanese theatrical debut, and will come West this winter thanks to GKIDS Entertainment. The film by Studio Chizu earned a 14-minute standing ovation following the premiere.
GKIDS announced in June that it acquired the North American distribution rights to the film. The movie follows 17-year-old Suzu, a rural high schooler, who enters the “U,” a virtual world of five billion members on the Internet, where she assumes the identity of Belle, a world-famous singer. There she meets a mysterious stranger, and together they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges, and love.
“I’ve been in love with Mamoru Hosoda since Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and every film since. Hosoda is a master at exploring humans’ relationship with technology in a changing world,” said Eric Beckman, CEO and Founder of GKIDS. “Belle expands on the threads and themes of his previous works in an epic tour-de-force that is visually stunning, emotionally stirring, and deeply profound. We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, and look forward to sharing what will surely be their most popular success to date.”
The film brings together the talents of character designer Jin Kim (Moana, Tangled, and Frozen), animators Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells), architect Eric Wong, and composer Ludvig Forssell (Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid V). Belle is written by Hosoda, and produced by Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito.
Belle will release in North America in both the original Japanese language and with an English dub.
