Mamoru Hosoda, the highly regarded director responsible for hit anime movies like 2006's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and 2009's Summer Wars, has just announced his new project. The upcoming film, Belle, will reportedly feature a decidedly modern story set in a virtual world, and will also the 10th anniversary of Hosoda's animation company, Studio Chizu.
According to Studio Chizu, Belle will feature an "ever-evolving online world," possibly similar to popular anime and game series like Sword Art Online and the .hack series. The film will primarily revolve around interpersonal relationships and interactions, exploring themes like coming of age and unlikely friendships. Not only is Hosoda directing the film, but he is also credited with the idea behind it, allowing for some real creative control over the production.
The movie's setting and its themes seem to harken back to the early days of Hosoda's directing career, where he directed a number of episodes in the 2001 Digimon: Digital Monsters anime series as well as several Digimon films. Long time fans of that particular series may be eager to see the veteran director effectively back in his element with Belle, and given its similar themes, Summer Wars fans could also find some familiar footing when they see it.
Starting out as an animator, Hosoda began his career working at Toei Animation, the studio behind such series as Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball. During this time, he worked on several films in the Digimon series before briefly moving on to the world famous Studio Ghibli. He was even tasked to direct what would become one of Ghibli's most highly-regarded films, 2004's Howl's Moving Castle, but this was unfortunately short-lived, as even though it was a dream job for Hosoda, he left early in production due to creative differences.
Back at Toei, Hosoda enjoyed a modest career, even directing the opening sequence for Samurai Champloo (one of several anime shows that even non-anime fans can get into). But little else happened until he was discovered by the animation studio Madhouse, where he went on to direct his most lauded works. 6 years later, after finding a bounty of success with his films, he went on to create Studio Chizu, where he eventually released even more well-regarded films like The Boy and the Beast in 2015 and arguably his best work yet, 2018's Mirai, which earned Best Animated Feature nominations at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
With such a rich resume behind him, Hosoda appears nowhere near slowing down, and Belle looks to be yet another satisfying story he can add to his ever-growing list of accomplishments. While an English release, unfortunately, has yet to be announced, it's likely only a matter of time, given how well his films have done in the west. So stay patient, and maybe pop in some Digimon for old time's sake.
Source: Anime News Network