Studio Chizu Reveals Newest Film ‘Belle’ to Release in Summer 2021

Studio Chizu announced that Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda’s (​Mirai, The Boy and the Beast, Wolf Children, Summer Wars, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time​) newest film will be titled Belle, Japanese title Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime. The film will release in Japan in Summer 2021.

Director Hosoda’s most recent film, Mirai, gained a lot of attention and even a few awards winning the Annie Awards for Best Independent Feature Animation and receiving nominations for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars in addition to its Golden Globe nomination.

In Belle, the director is taking on the challenge of depicting the online world by playing the story in the world of “U,” a massive online network with over 5 billion registered users. As seen in his previous titles, such as Digimon: The Movie and Summer Wars, we can see that the backdrop of the digital world allows Hosoda-san to dive into themes of modern society.

The producer adds:

Coming of age, family ties, love between parents and children, friendship that transcends species, the links between our lives. Of the various themes, Mamoru Hosoda’s recurring concept is “People in difficult situations bravely pushing themselves forward and striving for a better future.” In 2020, people all over the world have faced a crisis like never before, but the year is finally coming to an end. Director Hosoda will spin a tale of hope and courage that will be an inspiration for everyone around the world in 2021, which also marks Studio Chizu’s 10th year anniversary.

We will keep up updated on the hopeful western release of Belle.