by With a vibrant and creative team of emerging and renowned artists and creators from across the globe, Oscar-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda is back again with his anticipated music-filled film “Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime”(Belle).
So,
Get ready to embark on a fantastical, magical wild journey through the diverse world of “U” with a beautifully illustrated, story-filled sci-fi coming of age adventure this July.
Meet The Team
1. Mamoru Hosoda
Do we need any introduction ? I guess not.
If you are familiar with the anime film industry, then you certainly know who he is. He is most notable for directing films such as “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year 2007), “Wolf Children”(2013 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year),
and “Summer Wars” (Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year 2010).
His latest work “Mirai of the Future” (Director / Screenplay / Original) was selected for the 71st Cannes International Film Festival/ Director’s Fortnight, and nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Animated Feature Film at the 91st Academy Awards and the 76th Golden Globe Award for Animation Films. He was also nominated for an award and won the Best Independent Animation Film Award at the 46th Annie Awards.
2. Jin Kim
Jin Kim is a Korean animator and character designer best known for creating concept designs and facial expression sheets for Disney characters at Walt Disney Animation Studios. What’s more, he is the first Korean to be working for Walt Disney Animation Studios. His works include character designs for famous films such as “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Big Hero 6,” “Moana and the Legendary Sea,” ” Hercules”, “Tarzan”, “Fantasia 2000”, “The Emperor’s New Groove”, “Treasure Planet”, “Home on the Range” and many more.
According to Studio Chizu, “Mamoru Hosoda and Jin have long respected each other’s work.” After meeting for the first time at the Academy Awards, Hosoda and Jin promised each other that one day they would work on a project together, and that day finally came. This time, director Hosoda officially requested the design production of the diva bell, and the creative co-starring that each other was eager for was realized.
Check below what sketches Jin Kim has prepared for the Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime this time:
3. Eric Wong
Chizu also revealed we have Eric Wong in the project, an up and coming architect and designer from London who created the concept art for the virtual world U.According to the studio interview,” Director Hosoda himself asked Eric to come up with this super-giant universal and international “internet space” from both an architectural and design perspective.”
And finally, last but not least, the director of “The Secret of Kells” Tom Moore and Ross Stuart of Cartoon Saloon is also joining the film! In case you didn’t know, Cartoon Saloon is a renowned Irish animation film and television studio that has received five Academy Award nominations including their latest work “Wolfwalker”, which was nominated at the BAFTA Awards for Best Animated Film, Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and 93rd Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Production House and Story
2021 will mark Studio Chizu’s 10th anniversary. It was co-founded by Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito in 2011. Up until now, they have produced three featured films and all three of them have won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year awards.
On 15 December 2020, Studio Chizu announced that Hosoda’s newest film, titled Belle, would be released in the summer of 2021. After three months later they finally dropped the trailer for the film, and they described the story as:
Message from Mamoru Hosoda-
Even before I became an animation film director, I had been hoping that I could make a movie like this one day, and I have finally made it possible because I have created various works. While there are elements of love, action, and suspense, on the other hand, there are also essential big themes of life and death, so I think that the movie has a high entertainment element.
I have made movies about the Internet world, thinking that young people may change the world in a fun and enjoyable way. The Internet has many negative aspects such as slander and fake news, but I think it is a very good tool to expand the possibilities of human beings. Now that the Internet itself is changing, I was wondering if I could make a movie that would lead to a positive future.
Since last year, my work and life through the Internet, which I thought would take a long time to spread, has changed drastically with common sense, and I feel that I have come closer to the future for about 10 years. In an era of constant change without being bound by conventional wisdom, I feel that it is inevitable to make a movie about the changing world.
On the other hand, I also think that the things that must be taken care of in the end will not change. What we have inherited from generation to generation is something that will be inherited even if the world changes and tools and common-sense change.
I think it is in this era that it is becoming clearer. We hope that you will enjoy the world that changes at an overwhelming speed and the things that are really important to us and that do not change.
In all seriousness, this looks like it’s gonna be amazing! What do you think ? Are you excited as well ? Leave a comment below.
