Yes No Maybe So: "Belle" from Mamoru Hosoda
Friday, June 4, 2021 at 1:07PM by Nathaniel R
We recently debuted our first Oscar chart of the year for Best Animated Feature as well as an extensive overview of all the international animated films which could be competing for the unofficial "foreign" spot in that particular Oscar race. Perhaps we underestimated Belle by Mirai director Mamoru Hosoda who we had the pleasure of interviewing a couple of years back. Here's the international trailer...
BELLE by Mamoru Hosoda - Exclusive new trailer from Charades on Vimeo.
YES
• We thought his new work looked like Beauty and the Beast in stills (and given its title) but then heard it was a virtual reality type film about a girl living in two worlds, one called "U". Turns out it's both. The Beauty and the Beast narrative is what she's living through in U which has repercussions in our real world. We like a good reality/fantasy collision narrative.
• It looks stunning -- that shot of Belle atop the whale with the flowers streaming? Gah!
NO
• But she's a pop star in the virtual world? This could get corny fast or be utterly nonsensical.
MAYBE SO
• If U is a virtual world that is also a social media situation (note the count of our protagonist's "followers") why would someone create a "Beast" alter ego for themselves and ask people not to look at it. Will the metaphors really work in a self-fantasy creation environment? We'll find out.
• It looks ambitious and big risks can be highly rewarding if they work.
What'cha think?
Reader Comments (3)
Looks good and GKIDS better get this or else! Finally this and Flee are the two independent/foreign animated films that are so in the lead for a lock for the nomination for Best Animated Feature Film for the 94th Academy Awards.
For me it’s a no. The dialogue sounds/reads atrocious and some of the animation looks, well, stereotypical.
I'm a no, sadly. One of my big problems with animated is that it is sometimes very frenetic. That's my problem here. It almost gives me a headache to see the action go so fast.