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Belle

Original title: Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime
  • 2021
  • PG
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
19K
YOUR RATING
Kaho Nakamura and Takeru Satoh in Belle (2021)
Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters "U," a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.
Play trailer1:08
8 Videos
99+ Photos
AnimeTeen DramaAdventureAnimationDramaFamilyFantasyMusicMusicalSci-Fi

Teen Suzu embarks on an epic quest to uncover the identity of a mysterious beast in a virtual world.Teen Suzu embarks on an epic quest to uncover the identity of a mysterious beast in a virtual world.Teen Suzu embarks on an epic quest to uncover the identity of a mysterious beast in a virtual world.

  • Director
    • Mamoru Hosoda
  • Writer
    • Mamoru Hosoda
  • Stars
    • Kaho Nakamura
    • Ryo Narita
    • Shôta Sometani
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mamoru Hosoda
    • Writer
      • Mamoru Hosoda
    • Stars
      • Kaho Nakamura
      • Ryo Narita
      • Shôta Sometani
    • 205User reviews
    • 157Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos8

    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:08
    Teaser Trailer
    English Dub Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
    English Dub Trailer
    English Dub Trailer
    Trailer 2:24
    English Dub Trailer
    Belle
    Trailer 0:33
    Belle
    Belle
    Trailer 0:31
    Belle
    Belle
    Clip 3:08
    Belle
    Belle: U (Music Video)
    Clip 3:29
    Belle: U (Music Video)

    Photos157

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    Top cast62

    Edit
    Kaho Nakamura
    • Suzu
    • (voice)
    • …
    Ryo Narita
    Ryo Narita
    • Shinobu Hisatake
    • (voice)
    • (as Ryô Narita)
    Shôta Sometani
    Shôta Sometani
    • Shinjiro Chikami
    • (voice)
    Tina Tamashiro
    Tina Tamashiro
    • Ruka Watanabe
    • (voice)
    Lilas Ikuta
    • Hiroka Betsuyaku
    • (voice)
    • (as Rira Ikuta)
    Ryôko Moriyama
    • Yoshitani
    • (voice)
    Michiko Shimizu
    • Kita
    • (voice)
    Fuyumi Sakamoto
    • Okumoto
    • (voice)
    Yoshimi Iwasaki
    • Nakai
    • (voice)
    Sachiyo Nakao
    • Hatanaka
    • (voice)
    Toshiyuki Morikawa
    Toshiyuki Morikawa
    • Justian
    • (voice)
    Mamoru Miyano
    Mamoru Miyano
    • Muitaro Hitokawa
    • (voice)
    • …
    Sumi Shimamoto
    Sumi Shimamoto
    • Suzu's Mother
    • (voice)
    Kôji Yakusho
    Kôji Yakusho
    • Suzu's father
    • (voice)
    Ken Ishiguro
    Ken Ishiguro
    • Kei's Father
    • (voice)
    Ermhoi
    • Peggy Sue
    • (voice)
    • (as ermhoi)
    Hana
    • Tomo
    • (voice)
    • (as HANA)
    • …
    Mami Koyama
    Mami Koyama
    • Swan
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Mamoru Hosoda
    • Writer
      • Mamoru Hosoda
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews205

    7.019K
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    Featured reviews

    6a-19899-62865

    hum...

    Sorry for my bad English. I'm not a Native speaker.

    Great image and sound mastering.

    Ordinary music arrangement and character design.

    But the plot... not great.

    Weak characterization and the topics changed around too fast makes it like an unfinished story.

    A little pity. ;-;
    8themadmovieman

    A spectacular and soaring anime extravaganza

    From one of the best directors in modern anime, Belle is one of the most spectacular movies in the genre for a long time. Complete with typically gorgeous animation, an electrifying pace, riveting character depth, sweet humour and a handful of wonderful songs, this is a film that you won't be able to take your eyes off from start to finish.

    But why exactly does Belle have this spectacular star quality? After all director Mamoru Hosoda has managed time and again to tell incredible stories, from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy And The Beast and Mirai.

    Not only is Belle the latest addition to Hosoda's incredible repertoire, but it's also one of the most dynamic anime films of recent years, blending the classic animation style with timeless storytelling and blockbuster-level action and thrills.

    It's a film that really transports you to another world, with the as-ever spellbinding visuals delivering some of the most immersive fantasy you'll have seen in a long time, bolstering the film's originality from what at first feels like a mish-mash of different stories.

    In the early stages, it's easy to see Belle as a bit of an update of Hosoda's own Summer Wars, along with influence from Hollywood's Ready Player One. What's more, the film also borrows heavily at moments from Disney's Beauty And The Beast, although that's more as a clever homage than a simple reinvention.

    However, because there's so much going on, Belle proves itself to be a lot more than a remake or update of those films mentioned above. In fact, what's most impressive is the way in which it so effectively balances its focus between life inside the virtual world of U, and the characters who live in the real world.

    Much like Summer Wars, the action in the virtual world is brilliantly complemented by the emotional stories of the characters in the real world, in this case a group of high schoolers who are living through all the typical trappings of a coming-of-age story.

    This is where much of Belle's emotional heart comes in, and while the action in the virtual world is absolutely spectacular, you care for the characters because of how they're developed in the real world, with a wonderful group of friends whose own back stories play in wonderfully to the central action story.

    Playing out at an electrifying pace for the vast majority of its runtime, Belle nears edge-of-your-seat levels of excitement, although its finale admittedly isn't as exhilarating as the thrilling conclusion to Summer Wars.

    That said, Hosoda directs Belle with such confidence that it's a mesmerising watch at every moment, boosted further by a couple of spectacular and memorable songs that are both fun to listen to, and play nicely into the film's narrative arc.

    All in all, I had a whale of a time with Belle. A genuinely thrilling watch from start to finish, the film is a spectacular combination of many of director Mamoru Hosoda's best films, along with homages to a number of others. However, with fresh storytelling, fast pacing, gorgeous visuals, riveting emotional depth and thrilling action throughout, this film certainly stands on its own as one of the most entertaining anime you'll have seen in a long time.
    8ayoreinf

    Coming of Age can be tough in the real world and in the virtual one

    Let's get it right from the start. This movie does have faults - the plot does lose its relation to common sense some times (at least once, but in a very key moment) and it does sink a few times in to very shallow cliché such as the basic premise of the virtual world which makes this story move - translating our inner qualities into a singular personal avatar that really represent who we are. But once again I find myself watching a movie, realizing it has faults and feeling these faults don't matter one bit. I rated it 8 stars but it felt much more like 9. Because Mamoru Hosoda understands the human soul like very few do. I've seen already one of his earlier films - Mirai No Mirai where the very same deep understanding is demonstrated, I rated it 9 but I must admit this movie was much more moving than Mirai. Because the earlier movie is much more analytical and easy to relate to intellectually, while this one works on a pure emotional level. I'm rarely moved by an animated film like I was while watching it, because the characters were real - it has a lot to do with the superb Japanese voice acting, I'm not sure it'll work so well when dubbed but in Japanese it was raw and real and spoke of real issues of grief as a formative experience and about learning to stand for your beliefs against overwhelming odds and about how the smallest support from one's friends can mean the world and work wonders.

    One more point that wasn't made by the previous reviewers - it's called Belle (in English) because it's using the French La Belle et la Bete as a major point of reference. It's not Beauty and the Beast in a straight forward manner but the idea of Beauty's love as a releasing power is at the core of the movie. See it and you'll see what I mean, because I won't be adding on that issue.
    8rgkarim

    The Animation Is Belle, StoryTelling Needs Work

    LIKES:

    The Voice Acting: When it comes to this world of animation, there are plenty of people who can make or break the characters, but in my perspective the Japanese voice cast scores levels that English Actors can sometimes miss. All of the group did a stellar job in the performances granted before them, a mixture of laughable tags, parody like delivery, and raw emotion that unleashes the struggle of the characters. When the musical performances come up, the assigned voice actor accomplishes a blend of emotional satisfaction and musical prowess. It accomplishes much of the mannerisms that make anime characters so great and memorable and Belle is no exception.

    The Story To Some Degree: Belle's tale is very relatable to the modern era as it dives into the media that connects so many lives in one place, the internet. The story takes place in an app called U, which is all about bringing out your avatar via cool futuristic technology and allows you to be what you want in the world. In this world, anything is possible, and the movie shows the possibility of the communal watering hole and the fame/worship that comes. What's a big favor for me though is how this movie adds more layers to the film by integrating other parts of the tale. Our main character Suzu has a lot of baggage, and her friends have their own vulnerabilities that are certainly going to be relevant to the audience. It mixes these together in a lot of small subplots, and gives us characters that feel semi-realistic. These worlds continue to cross back and forth in the search for happiness, only to then wrap it up in an interpretation of Beauty and the Beast. This multi-tiered approach surprisingly works well, and gives us this mini-series feeling that is entertaining and yet deep the way anime can be.

    The Songs: This movie is a lot of a love story component, but also one about finding yourself in the mess of all the horrors that the fickle world brings. While the story does a fine job of plastering the horrors of the modern world and how one must find strength and means to face those horrors. For me though... it's the music that really drives the point home and the scenes around it. Belle's songs are very few in terms of the track list, and the variety is very minimal as well, with few being the toe tapping pop or rock options that anime series have made famous. However, the movie uses the songs to an incredible degree to display the emotion of the moment and really drive the heart and soul. As mentioned earlier, the vocal performances are incredible, the combination of symphony and pop is beautiful, and really reflects the character of Suzu. It's not a parody of the famous Disney movies, but rather dives deeper and despite odd lyrics, the movie unleashes so much of the symbolism this movie wants to show you. Something definitely for a Spotify playlist, but I really enjoyed the beauty of this work.

    The Animation, at least 75% of it: Belle is definitely noteworthy of the anime magic for me and much of it has to do with the animation they have brought to the table. For one thing, the design is brilliant on many levels, a mash up of typical Japanese school life, merged with Ready Player One computer assistance, and then further painted with a Japanese paint of Beauty and the Beast. All these styles manage to hold an emotion and magic to themselves, with shading, colors, and a style all about capturing the essence of the moment. Of these worlds, the U world was my style, well there animation is much smoother, the colors and designs much more vivid, and a world that really felt like a warped version of the classic tale. The moments where the animation was heavily invested hold much more than simple movement, but rather hold the entire atmosphere of the scene and it's great to see that art style come to life and feel different from the likes of Nickelodeon and Disney. Truly seventy-five percent of the movie accomplished this and really impressed me when music, sound, and animation worked in the harmony the Eastern culture has practiced for years.

    DISLIKES:

    Pacing: At times, Belle is very slow, and sometimes gets a bit too lost in the emotion and not enough in the actual story. Belle is very much a movie that is part afterschool special, and these moments do have a lot of comedy and fun to it, but sometimes gets too lost in the routine to deprive you of the linear pace I enjoy. It made for some slow moments, and some wasted potential to really enjoy other qualities I wanted more of.

    The Animation For the Other 25% I have to say that there are times where things were skimped, filling sequences and lesser moments that the team seemed to think tertiary to the rest of the film. These moments in Belle are not very well animated, basic lines, colors, and shading that is very bland and dull compared to the other moments of the movie. Whether this was symbolic or just cost/time saving steps, it's something I'm not a fan of when you see other studios put out more consistent work to keep the splendor going. Belle's team needed a little mor work on optimizing everything to bring the full drop, but I guess things got away from them during this time in our world.

    The Characters: Lots of players are in this movie, and some are done fantastically, and others are the stuff of dreams in the background to create your own fiction with. Belle fails to balance the secondary characters that Beauty did long ago, at least in terms of the digital world. The cute little AI sprites are great for merchandising, but hold less story usage and integration that more time and planning could have helped. While the human counterparts have more involvement, it's really the cyber world where a lot of the tension/action occurs at least until the end. Even the antagonists are boring, some knock offs from other lore or anime, and do little to deliver the full on blow like Gaston did long ago. Again, build up, introduction and full on use are important for me.

    The World Building or lack thereof: The world of U is supposed to be the hub of possibility and recreation, and yet for such a world it's lacking the majesty that I envision places like this could be. Belle's world building is gorgeous when they do it, the architecture of several places, and the creatures have the pizazz that this medium can bring. However, there was so much to explore and perform in, to hide and flee around as the two characters explored the boundaries and limitations this new relationship brought with it. Yet the world of U is surprisingly bland and centrally located given the potential I've seen in other series.

    The Story: Truth is the story is complete and deep on many levels, but the movie still feels incomplete and too crammed to be the artistic piece that movies like Spirited Away are known for. Belle's tale has a lot of ground to cover in a short two hours, and this beautiful soap opera needs more time to really give us everything they were going for. Belle is torn between a lot of things, the real life struggles of the characters, the relationship between Belle and Beast, the struggle of the fame and fortune, and even the tragic histories that defined them. If done in a mini-series or a four part saga, I think the movie would have accomplished the master storytelling it could be, but in one installment, there was a lot of things that felt rather blunted and not quite wrapped up like they could have. That haphazard finish blunts the beauty of Belle's story somewhat, and gives it a more generic feeling that others have stated.

    The VERDICT:

    Belle is beautiful in many ways to be worthy of seeing in your lifetime. The movie really hits a lot of audience types, diving into relative realms of problems that plague the world today. Its characters, at least the primary, have a lot of layers to it, and the voice acting brings a fantastic performance to anchor on to. Then the music and animation, for the most part, help deliver the full ambience that gave me goosebumps and stuck with me as I left the theater. These moments are the true bread and butter of the film and the biggest theater presence. However, the story needs more time, more parts, or something to really give it all it was promised. The story is very compressed and hasty, giving you some great meat for the main plot, while the subplots feel withered and dried out. Buildup, character usage, world building, and action are very lacking though and I can't say I was disappointed in several of the things they had been teasing me with. Still, the move hits deep and shows much of the craft of the Eastern animators and their art.

    My scores are:

    Animation/Adventure/Drama: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0.
    Celewa

    C+ (flat 6). January 22' @Regal

    Spectacular visuals and animation but narrative is disjointed, particularly in the latter half of the film. Set up and themes don't quite land. Weak story.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mamoru Hosoda and Jin Kim both had an admiration for each other's work. While Hosoda was attending the Oscar's ceremony for his film, Mirai (2018) the two were able to meet for the first time. It was there the two said they would work together on a future project, which eventually became Belle.
    • Quotes

      Hiro: Nobody in their right mind would ever guess that Belle's user is actually a mousy nobody like you from some remote town!

    • Connections
      Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Talkin' Trailers (2021)
    • Soundtracks
      U
      Performed by Millennium Parade (as millennium parade) & Kaho Nakamura (as Belle)

      Music and Lyrics by Daiki Tsuneta

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    FAQ18

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 14, 2022 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official sites
      • Official Site (Japan)
      • Official site (United States)
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Belle: The Dragon and the Freckled Princess
    • Production companies
      • Studio Chizu
      • BookWalker
      • Dentsu
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,018,313
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,565,658
      • Jan 16, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $64,679,830
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • IMAX 6-Track
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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