Bel­le: Ryu and Prin­cess Soba­ka­su

Since her mother's death, 17-year-old Suzu has been a shadow of herself: not only has she become estranged from her father and her classmates, but she no longer pursues her passion, music. But one day when she enters "U", a virtual world with over 5 billion registered users, she suddenly finds her voice again. Under the name Belle, she becomes a singing superstar with a rapidly growing fan base. The fan base is enraged when her biggest concert to date is interrupted by a scary dragon. But while everyone is hostile to him, Belle is fascinated by this mysterious creature...
With his "Studio Chizu", co-founder and director Mamoru Hosoda is building on the success of "Studio Ghibli", through which Japanese anime became known worldwide. "Belle" is Hosoda's first film after his international success "Mirai no Mirai", for which he received an Oscar nomination in 2018. «Belle» celebrated its world premiere in Cannes before being presented shortly afterwards in Locarno on the Piazza Grande. With great attention to detail, Hosoda creates a spectacular cyber fairy tale accompanied by melodic J-pop, which, last but not least, reveals a refreshingly hopeful view of the age of the Internet. A feast for the eyes and ears!
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Film genre: Animation
Access age / Recommended age: 8 (12)
Country of production: Japan (2021)
Duration: 122'