Mamoru Hosoda’s highly-anticipated
Belle made waves at the Cannes International Film Festival ahead of its July 16 Japanese theatrical debut, and will come West this winter thanks to GKIDS Entertainment. The film by Studio Chizu earned a 14-minute standing ovation following the premiere.
GKIDS announced in June that it acquired the North American distribution rights to the film. The movie follows 17-year-old Suzu, a rural high schooler, who enters the “U,” a virtual world of five billion members on the Internet, where she assumes the identity of Belle, a world-famous singer. There she meets a mysterious stranger, and together they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges, and love.