Belle (2021 film)

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Belle
File:Belle 2021 Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Written by Mamoru Hosoda
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Taisei Iwasaki
  • Ludvig Forssell
  • Yuta Bandoh
  • Miho Sakai
Edited by Shigeru Nishiyama
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15) (Cannes)
  • July 16, 2021 (2021-07-16) (Japan)
Running time
 124 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office $63.8 million[1]

Belle (竜とそばかすの姫 Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime?, literally The Dragon and the Freckled Princess) is a 2021 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu. The story is inspired by the 1756 French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont as well as the 1991 Disney animated film.[2]

Belle premiered on July 15, 2021, at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,[3] where it was well-received by critics with a standing ovation that lasted fourteen minutes.[4] The film was additionally dubbed into foreign languages (English, Chinese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, Greek and German). It was released theatrically in Japan on July 16, 2021. GKIDS has licensed the film in North America, with a nationwide release date of January 14, 2022,[5] and previews in select IMAX theaters on January 12,[6] while Anime Limited released the film in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2022.[7][8]

Belle is the third-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, accounting for ¥6.53 billion in box-office rankings as of December 12, 2021.[9][10]

Plot

17-year-old Suzu Naito lives in the rural Kōchi Prefecture of Japan with a lost passion for singing and writing songs. When Suzu was young, she witnessed her mother rescue a child from a flooding river at the cost of her own life, causing her to resent her mother for "abandoning" her for a stranger's child and eventually grow distant from her father. She remains in contact with a group of older choir teachers who were her mother's friends. She is alienated from most of her classmates, with the exception of her childhood friend and self-appointed protector Shinobu Hisatake, on whom she has a crush; popular girl Ruka Watanabe; sportsman classmate Shinjiro “Kamishin” Chikami; and her genius best friend Hiroka "Hiro" Betsuyaku.

Urged by Hiro, Suzu signs into the popular virtual world "U" and is appointed a beautiful avatar with freckles (through the AI engine's biometric analysis[11]) whom she names "Bell", the English translation of her own name. Upon logging into U, she finds herself capable of singing again. With the assistance of Hiro, who has appointed herself Bell's manager and producer, Bell almost immediately becomes a best-seller on U's music charts, and people start to refer to her as "Belle", meaning "beautiful" in French.

During one of Belle's concerts, an infamously strong and near-unbeatable user called "The Dragon" (or "The Beast") arrives, fleeing from the Justices, a vigilante group led by the self-righteous Justin, who begin fighting the Dragon and accusing him of disturbing the peace of U. Justin plans to unveil the Dragon's identity to the public using a specialized program mostly reserved for U's owners. Intrigued by the Dragon, Suzu begins to gather information about him. She discovers that he is popular amongst children, who consider him to be their hero, particularly an 8th grader named Tomo who was in the news following his mother's death. Belle searches U for the Dragon and is led to the Dragon's hidden castle by a mysterious angel avatar. She meets the Dragon and his five guardian AIs. Belle and the Dragon grow close. In the real world, Ruka confides to Suzu that she likes Kamishin. With Suzu's help, the two confess their feelings, after a long period of awkward embarrassment.

In U, Justin captures and interrogates Belle, threatening to unveil her identity to the world if she refuses to cooperate. The Dragon's AIs rescue Belle but their intervention allows Justin and his group to locate the Dragon's castle and set it on fire, destroying it. The Dragon flees before Belle can find him and flee with him. Suzu and Hiro work to find out the Dragon's real identity before Justin can and warn him. They find a live video feed of Tomo singing a song only Belle and the Dragon know, and realize that Tomo is the angel avatar, and his older brother Kei is the Dragon. Kei and Tomo are being physically and mentally abused by their father; Kei's anger and protectiveness over Tomo is what gives The Dragon his unbeatable strength in U. Suzu contacts Kei to try and help, but Kei does not believe that she is Belle, and generally distrusts everyone offering to help, since no help has ever arrived. Shinobu, Ruka, Kamishin, and the choir teachers reveal their knowledge of Belle's true identity and urge Suzu to sing to gain Kei's trust. Suzu unveils herself to the world in U and sings. Seeing this, Kei decides to trust her and tries to contact her again. Kei's father sees the video of his abuse posted online and cuts off the internet connection before Kei can tell Suzu their address.

Using context clues, Ruka and Kamishin deduce that Kei's hometown is Kawasaki, Kanagawa, near Tokyo. Since the authorities cannot intervene on abuse charges until 48 hours have passed, Suzu locates Kei and Tomo on her own and protects them from their father. The next day, she and her father warmly greet each other at the station. Shinobu praises Suzu for her bravery and decides she no longer needs his protection, feeling free to pursue the relationship he has always wanted with her. Finally understanding her mother's selfless actions, Suzu comes to terms with her mother's death, and is ready to open up to life.

Voice cast

Character Cast Summary
Japanese English[12]
Suzu Naito / Belle Kaho Nakamura[13] Kylie McNeill A third-year high school student who lost the will to sing after the death of her mother.
Kei / Dragon Takeru Satoh[14] Paul Castro Jr. A third-year middle school student who is being abused by his father.
Tomo / Angel HANA Bentley Griffin A second-year middle school student and Kei’s frail younger brother.
Suzu's father Kōji Yakusho[15] Ben Lepley Suzu’s widowed father who she feels distant from.
Hiroka "Hiro-chan" Betsuyaku Lilas Ikuta Jessica DiCicco Suzu’s best friend and manager of her identity as Belle.
Shinobu Hisatake Ryō Narita Manny Jacinto Suzu’s crush since elementary school.
Shinjiro "Kamishin" Chikami Shōta Sometani Brandon Engman Suzu’s friend who has a passion for canoeing.
Ruka Watanabe Tina Tamashiro Hunter Schafer The popular girl in Suzu’s class.
Justin Toshiyuki Morikawa Chace Crawford The leader of the Justices, a group of corps that are proclaiming themselves the unofficial protectors of justice and order within the virtual online space of "U".
Okumoto Fuyumi Sakamoto Ellyn Stern
Jellinek Kenjiro Tsuda Andrew Kishino
Swan Mami Koyama Noelle McGrath
Muitarō Hitokawa / Tokoraemaru Mamoru Miyano David Chen
Kita Michiko Shimizu Jessica Gee George
Yoshitani Ryoko Moriyama Barbara Goodson
Hatanaka Sachiyo Nakao Martha Harms
Nakai Yoshimi Iwasaki Wendee Lee
Suzu's mother Sumi Shimamoto[16] Julie Nathanson
Kei's father Ken Ishiguro Kiff VandenHeuvel
Peggie Sue ermhoi Cristina Vee

Production

While Studio Chizu worked on the project, they had help from veteran Disney animator and character designer Jin Kim and Michael Camacho on the design of Belle and studio Cartoon Saloon for the background work of the world of U.[17][18]

Hosoda initially intended for Belle to be a musical, but considered the idea difficult due to Japan not having a culture of making musicals. However, he still wanted music to be central to the film, so he searched for a protagonist that could sing. He stated that he preferred the same person doing both speaking and singing voices to make it convincing, and searched for a singer who could express their feelings though song and move people, even if they don't understand Japanese. He then found Kaho Nakamura, whom he considered relatively unknown, but a perfect choice for the role. Hosoda stated that Nakamura was also involved in writing lyrics, so she could feel the lyrics she was singing.[19]

Soundtrack

Belle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released July 30, 2021
Recorded 2020–2021
Studio Victor Studio, Bunkamura Studio, Studio Tanta, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Abbey Road Studios, London, UK
Genre
Length 76:52
Language Japanese, English, German, Latin
Label Studio Chizu
Sony Music Entertainment
Milan Records (international)
Producer Taisei Iwasaki
Studio Chizu chronology
Mirai: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2018)		 Belle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
(2021)

Track listing

Standard edition
No. Title Artist(s) Length
1. "U" (digital track only) millennium parade, Kaho Nakamura 3:07
2. "Whispers (ささやき Sasayaki?)"   Nakamura 0:28
3. "Slingshot"     2:56
4. "Memories of a Sound (遠い音色 Tōi neiro?)"     1:29
5. "Blunt Words"   ermhoi 1:18
6. "Gales of Song (歌よ Uta yo?)"   Nakamura 3:59
7. "Fleeting Days (儚い日常 Hakanai nichijō?)"     0:40
8. "Swarms of Song (導き Michibiki?)"   Nakamura 1:38
9. "Alle Psallite Cum Luya (いざ、リラを奏でて歌わん Iza, rira o kanadete utawan?)"   Ryoko Moriyama, Sachiyo Nakao, Fuyumi Sakamoto, Yoshimi Iwasaki, Michiko Shimizu, Nakamura 0:38
10. "Fama Destinata" (Destined Fame) Nakamura 2:18
11. "Dragon (竜 Ryū?)"     1:28
12. "Justin (ジャスティン Jasutin?)"     1:11
13. "Unveil (アンベイル Anbeiru?)"     1:33
14. "Digital Ripples (電網鼓動 Denmō kodō?)"     5:21
15. "Dragon's Lair (竜の城 Ryū no shiro?)"     3:10
16. "Lend Me Your Voice (Draft) (心のそばに(鈴) Kokoro no soba ni (Suzu)?)"   Nakamura 1:16
17. "Social Warfare (手のひらの戦乱 Tenohira no senran?)"     1:19
18. "Assault (強襲 Kyōshū?)"     3:48
19. "Lend Me Your Voice (心のそばに Kokoro no soba ni?)"   Nakamura 5:03
20. "#UnveilTheBeast"     1:38
21. "Authority and Arrogance (倨傲の権力 Kyogō no kenryoku?)"     2:04
22. "Scorching the Facade (竜の城、燃ゆ Ryū no shiro, rán yu?)"     3:44
23. "The Truth Obscured (潜む真実 Hisomu shinjitsu?)"     1:04
24. "Lend Me Your Voice (Humming) (心のそばに(知くん) Kokoro no soba ni (Tomo-kun)?)"   HANA 0:48
25. "Distrust (不信 Fushin?)"     2:47
26. "A Million Miles Away (はなればなれの君へ Hanarebanare no kimi e?)"   Nakamura 8:01
3:08 (part 1)
1:06 (part 2)
1:45 (part 3)
2:01 (part 4)
27. "Pieces of the Puzzle (糸口 Itoguchi?)"     2:14
28. "Faces in the Rain (素顔 Sugao?)"   Nakamura 2:22
29. "Skies of Song (辿り着いた空 Tadoritsuita sora?)"   Nakamura 3:02
30. "A Million Miles Away (reprise) (はなればなれの君へ (reprise) Hanarebanare no kimi e (reprise)?)"   Nakamura 6:29
Total length:
 76:52
English edition
No. Title Artist(s) Length
1. "U" (English Version; digital track only) millennium parade, Kylie McNeill 3:07
2. "Whispers" (English Version) McNeill 0:28
3. "Slingshot"     2:56
4. "Memories of a Sound"     1:29
5. "Blunt Words"   ermhoi 1:18
6. "Gales of Song" (English Version) McNeill 3:59
7. "Fleeting Days"     0:40
8. "Swarms of Song" (English Version) McNeill 1:38
9. "Alle Psallite Cum Luya"   Ryoko Moriyama, Sachiyo Nakao, Fuyumi Sakamoto, Yoshimi Iwasaki, Michiko Shimizu, Nakamura 0:38
10. "Fama Destinata" (English Version) McNeill 2:18
11. "Dragon"     1:28
12. "Justin"     1:11
13. "Unveil"     1:33
14. "Digital Ripples"     5:21
15. "Dragon's Lair"     3:10
16. "Lend Me Your Voice (Draft)" (English Version) McNeill 1:16
17. "Social Warfare"     1:19
18. "Assault"     3:48
19. "Lend Me Your Voice" (English Version) McNeill 5:03
20. "#UnveilTheBeast"     1:38
21. "Authority and Arrogance"     2:04
22. "Scorching the Facade"     3:44
23. "The Truth Obscured"     1:04
24. "Lend Me Your Voice (Humming)" (English Version) Bentley Griffin 0:48
25. "Distrust"     2:47
26. "A Million Miles Away" (English Version) McNeill 8:01
27. "Pieces of the Puzzle"     2:14
28. "Faces in the Rain" (English Version) McNeill 2:22
29. "Skies of Song" (English Version) McNeill 3:02
30. "A Million Miles Away (reprise)" (English Version) McNeill 6:29
Total length:
 76:52

Release

The film was released originally in July 2021, but was later given special premieres and limited theatrical runs from late 2021 to early 2023. This list details the cinematic release dates:

Japan
  • July 16, 2021
North America
  • January 12, 2022 (limited)
  • January 14, 2022 (nationwide)
International
  • September 29, 2021 - South Korea
  • October 8, 2021 - Taiwan
  • October 28, 2021 - Hong Kong
  • November 18, 2021 - Singapore
  • December 29, 2021 - France
  • January 6, 2022 - Malaysia
  • January 12, 2022 - Indonesia
  • January 13, 2022 - Peru
  • January 14, 2022 - Canada and Turkey
  • January 20, 2022 - Argentina, Australia (internet), Chile (limited), Mexico & Uruguay
  • February 4, 2022 - United Kingdom and Ireland
  • February 10, 2022 - UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman & Saudi Arabia
  • February 17, 2022 - Hungary
  • February 18, 2022 - Finland
  • March 17, 2022 - Italy and Portugal
  • March 25, 2022 - Andorra and Spain
  • April 1, 2022 - Poland
  • April 14, 2022 - Kazakhstan and Russia
  • April 22, 2022 - Estonia
  • May 26, 2022 - Netherlands
  • June 9, 2022 - Germany
  • July 29, 2022 - Sweden
  • August 26, 2022 - China
  • November 10, 2022 - Denmark
  • January 26, 2023 - Greece

Reception

Box office

Belle is the third-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, accounting for ¥6.53 billion in box-office rakings as of December 12, 2021.[9][10]

In the film's U.S. opening weekend it made $1.6 million from 1,326 theaters, and a total of $1.8 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Day holiday frame.[21][22] The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its second weekend with $570,213.[23] The film was released on May 17, 2022 on DVD & Blu-ray by GKids (through its distribution partner Shout! Factory).[24]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 127 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A remarkable story brought to life with dazzling animation, Belle finds writer-director Mamoru Hosoda setting a brilliant new benchmark."[25] 83 was met with 31 reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of {{{3}}}, based on {{{4}}} reviews.[26] American audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 86% positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend it.[27]

At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the film received a 14-minute-standing ovation.[28][29] Joe Morgenstern wrote for The Wall Street Journal that "There's too much plot for the film to manage, but its heart, and sumptuous art, are so firmly in the right place that its appeal comes through sweet and clear."[30] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised the visual quality, character development, worldbuilding, and called the film "unfailingly touching."[31] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times praised the visuals and story, writing "It’s a tale as old as time and as newfangled as TikTok, in which the virtual world, though packed with fantasy and artifice, can bring startling truths to the surface."[32]

Accolades

The film has received five Annie Award nominations, including one for Best Independent Animated Feature. Its total makes it the most nominations for a Japanese anime film ever at the awards, surpassing previous films Spirited Away, Millennium Actress (both 2001), and Weathering with You (2019) with four.

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Detroit Film Critics Society December 6, 2021 Best Animated Feature Belle Nominated [33]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 15, 2021 Best Animated Feature Nominated [34]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards December 18, 2021 Best Animated Film Runner-up [35]
Florida Film Critics Circle December 22, 2021 Best Animated Feature Nominated [36]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle January 10, 2022 Best Animated Feature Nominated [37]
Austin Film Critics Association January 11, 2022 Best Animated Film Nominated [38]
Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance Kaho Nakamura Nominated
Crunchyroll Anime Awards February 9, 2022 Best Film Belle Nominated [39]
VFX-Japan Awards March 3, 2022 Excellence Award - Animated Theatrical Film Category Belle Won [40][41]
Japan Academy Film Prize March 11, 2022 Animation of the Year Belle Nominated [42]
Outstanding Achievement in Music Taisei Iwasaki, Ludvig Forssell, Yuta Bandoh Won
Annie Awards March 12, 2022 Best Animated Feature — Independent Belle Nominated [43]
Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production Ryo Horibe, Yohei Shimozawa Nominated
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production Mamoru Hosoda Nominated
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated
Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Alice Dieudonné, Almu Redondo, Maria Pareja Nominated

References

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  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Studio Chizu Reveals New Trailer for “BELLE” and Announces International Roster|Studio Chizu
  18. ↑ Mamoru Hosoda Teams Up With Cartoon Saloon And Disney Vet Jin Kim For New Film ‘Belle’|Cartoon Brew
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

Template:Studio Chizu

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