Mamoru Hosoda’s acclaimed new feature Belle will make its North American debut in the Spotlight section of the New York Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25th. Indie distributor GKIDS will release Belle theatrically in the U.S. both in its original Japanese language and a new dubbed English version this winter, preparing the film for a 2021 awards consideration.
Belle is an original story written and helmed by the celebrated director whose previous films also include The Boy and the Beast, Wolf Children, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and others. Hosoda is joined by long time producing partner and Studio Chizu co-founder Yuichiro Saito, as producer on the title. The film was also an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival last month, marking the award-winning director’s second invitation to Cannes. His first, Mirai, made its debut at Directors’ Fortnight in 2018 before going on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Belle showcases the work of a team of international veteran talents Character designer Jin Kim, the artist behind several iconic Disney features including Moana, Tangled, and Frozen, designed the titular character. Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells) also joined the team, contributing artwork for the various virtual fantasy worlds within the film. Hosoda continues his film collaborations with architects, and is joined by up-and-coming British architect and designer Eric Wong, who designed the virtual world of “U.” Rounding out the team, composer Ludvig Forssell, best known for his collaborations with video game auteur Hideo Kojima (Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid V), joined the score team for the film.
The film was released in theaters in Japan starting July 16, and has grossed over 5 billion yen ($45.56 million USD) to date. For more info, visit www.BelleFilm.com
Here is the film’s trailer:
