Studio Chizu Releases Teaser for Mamoru Hosoda’s “Belle” Anime Film
Studio Chizu, the production company co-founded by Mamoru Hosoda, today released a teaser trailer for the director’s upcoming anime film, Belle (known in Japan as Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, or “The Princess of Dragons and Freckles”).
Details on this project are sparse at time of writing, but the teaser evokes previous Hosoda films such as Summer Wars that revolved around a virtual world, as well as the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. The film was originally announced in December 2020, where Studio Chizu mentioned that Belle will cover themes such as coming of age, familial ties, and friendships that transcend species.
Belle is currently slated to be released in Japan in summer 2021 as Studio Chizu’s fourth feature film, marking the 10th anniversary of the company’s founding. Their most recent feature Mirai was nominated in the 2019 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, being the first anime film not associated with Studio Ghibli to receive a nod in the category.
Anime Limited released it in cinemas and on home video in the United Kingdom, with Mamoru Hosoda’s earlier films The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children being available through Manga Entertainment, and The Boy and the Beast via StudioCanal.
Credit to Anime News Network for information relating to the original announcement, and the film’s Japanese title.
