Movie Review: ‘Belle’

Review by James Lindorf

Studio Chizu, known for hit anime movies like “Mirai,” “Wolf Children,” and “Summer Wars” have partnered with Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda for their latest project “Belle.” On January 14th, this beautifully animated and heartfelt story will have a limited theatrical release thanks to GKIDS, who is looking for their 13th Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination in 12 years.

High school student Suzu (Kaho Nakamura) spends most of her time isolated from everyone in her rural village in Southern Japan. Since witnessing her mother’s death when she was six years old, Suzu has withdrawn from her father, most of her friends, and music, a passion she shared with her mother. When Suzu discovers “U,” a massive virtual world that gives you a chance to be a better version of yourself, she escapes into her online persona. “U” is an outlandish world where everyone is hiding behind avatars, and a timid girl can become a pink-haired silver-voiced global superstar. While Suzu struggles to make a single connection, Belle makes everyone believe she is singing just for them with her beautiful and sorrowful songs. The only thing the two appear to have in common is their freckles.

The world inside “U” is a bit odd compared to the most popular games in our world. Giant humpback whales swim on air currents among an endless spiral of “U” players drifting along, awaiting the next thing worthy of their attention. There is talk of other areas of “U” where users are more active, but Suzu spends most of her time entertaining people who would spend hours on Tik Tok if this alternative didn’t exist.

Much like our social media, Belle’s rise to fame isn’t a walk in the park and draws all kinds of attention. The regular fans enjoy her performances but have other concerns. Then there are the obsessive fans who need to know everything about her, and lastly, the trolls who resent that she is the hot new thing. The trolls and the haters upset Suze the most. Her tech-whiz best friend and manager, Hiroka, reminds her that true stardom only comes with mixed reactions. Suzu can’t have the millions of followers she desires and be universally loved. Her latest concert will be the largest event in “U” History. Its size draws the kind of attention Belle and Hiroka could never have imagined when the event is interrupted by the Dragon (Takeru Satoh). The Dragon is the infamous but seldom discussed public enemy number one in this world after leaving a wave of destruction in the wake of his violent outbursts.

With no police in the digital world, a group of self-appointed vigilantes has appointed themselves the protectors of “U” and made it their mission to take down the beast. In a turn straight out of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle is the only one capable of breaking through his gruff exterior. This world’s Gaston is Justain (Toshiyuki Morikawa), the leader of the vigilantes, and he is willing to go through anyone to expose the beast, including Belle. While the story follows many familiar beats, Hosoda’s version is darker. While there are elements of love, the themes at the center of this tale are grief, abuse, sacrifice, and determination. “Belle” is an emotionally and visually beautiful film combining elements of beloved movies like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Matrix” to tell a classic story in a modern setting. “Belle” is a 4.5 out of five. A couple of unnecessary side plots push the runtime over two hours when closer to 90 minutes would have made for a stronger overall film.

Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Anime, Adventure, Romance, Musical
Original Language: Japanese, available with english subtitles and dubbed
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Producer: Yuichiro Saito
Writer: Mamoru Hosoda
Release Date (Theaters): January 14th, 2022
Runtime: 2h 1m
Distributor: GKIDS