Mamoru Hosoda fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. GKIDS has announced that they will be bringing the long-awaited Belle to theaters across America on January 14, 2022. What’s even better is that we have the teaser trailer here for you to see!
Belle will be a new take on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. The GKIDS website gives us this synopsis for the new hit film:
“Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.”
From the sounds of it, we can expect nothing short of a beautifully told and designed storyline from the imaginings of this Academy Award-nominated director.
Belle has already received a lot of buzz from its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — so much buzz that it was in fact met by a 14-minute-long standing ovation. The film was already released in Japan over the summer and has quickly climbed to the place of Hosoda’s top-grossing film to date. Hosoda’s past critically-acclaimed directorial pieces include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, and Mirai, which is the film that earned Hosoda his 2018 Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
With all of the amazing reviews, Belle promises to be an artfully crafted retelling of a beloved story. Check out the teaser trailer below and stay tuned for more updates on the release of Hosoda’s Belle: