“You can’t start over in the reality, but you can start over in U,” says the female voice welcoming users to the sophisticated virtual-reality application where Mamoru Hosoda’s astonishingly poignant new animated feature, “Belle,” materializes.
That enticingly escapist proposition, to leave behind one’s mundane existence and transcend into a parallel realm in a new form, feels less like near-future sci-fi and more like thoughtful commentary on the types of double lives we are already part of on our devices.
In the world of U, a person’s AS or avatar manifests from biometric information, but also, it seems, based on personality traits expressed in the physicality of the new entity. To an extent, this is the most truthful version of the self, where one’s hurt, scars, talents, and inner beauty are openly revealed for those in this universe of five billion individuals to see.
Suzu (voiced by Kaho Nakamura in the original Japanese and Kylie McNeill in the English dub), a painfully introverted teenager, becomes the digital pop star named Belle in the virtual world of U, giving her back her zeal for singing, lost after her mother’s heroically tragic death. A montage of Suzu’s childhood shows her playing with smartphones, so entering U feels natural for the Gen Z girl.
Belle’s viral fame, however, leads to users worldwide eager to discover the face behind the mask, which makes her reconsider this distinctly marked duality; as her tech-savvy friend Hiro (Lilas Ikuta/Jessica DiCicco) points out, stardom is built on “mixed reception.”Angrily agitated mobs are cleverly depicted as suffocating text bubbles in comic-book comics. They take a toll of her self-confidence.
After a dragon-like avatar begins to terrorize U with its rage, Suzu (Belle) recognizes that the two are incompatible and is obsessed with discovering why his method of communicating sorrow is death. Hosoda’s film is grounded on “Beauty and the Beast,”It is both the original tale and more clearly the 1991 Disney version. This blends well with all the different dichotomies.
Hosoda does not try to hide his homage. In fact, he direct references the Disneyfied version. In “Belle,”This touching, romantic encounter between monsters, damsels and angels marks a shift in their relationship. It culminates in an aerial dance that is both striking and swoon worthy. The Macho villain Gaston is embodied in the muscular Justin (Toshiyuki Mrikawa/Chace Crawford), one the super-powered entities charged with protecting this realm.
From a design perspective, “Belle” is Hosoda’s most ambitious endeavor to date. U, an infinite and brightly colored space devoid of gravity where whales fly and the horizon line doesn’t function in relation to logical directions, is the brainchild of architect Eric Wong, whom Hosoda, fittingly, found while searching online.
Jin Kim, Disney animator/character designer (the other side)“Hercules,” “Tangled”It appears that ) has made Belle look like a classic Disney princess. With flowing pink hair, freckles and magazine-ready dresses, The theme of contrast is achieved by blending the futuristic technology with classically designed figures.
Hosoda’s art has long revolved about the idea of alternative realities, whether it’s an online battle with real-world repercussions (“Summer Wars”)Oder in magical kingdoms (“The Boy and the Beast” or “Mirai,”He was nominated for an Academy Award. All of these feature characters with alter egos or presenting as another iterations of themselves — a baby sister seen as an adolescent, or a father in beastly form.
However, those Hosoda tropes that are recurring in Hosoda are exponentially more prominent in “Belle,”Music as a narrative tool gives Hosoda a singular emotional ability. Acting as a co-lyricist here, Hosoda created Belle’s songs (with Taisei Iwasaki and Nakamura, who performed them) to function as they do in musicals. These tracks are both anthemic and insightful about Suzu. Taken together, these are surely the best songs from an anime feature since Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name.”
There’s no sugarcoated falsehood in Hosoda’s approach to the tough issues raised in the latter third of “Belle”About parent-child relationships and neglect. Director believes these topics will resonate when they are presented in an art work that is both ravishing and profound, even if it runs a bit too long due to its many layers. Once again, internationally produced animation demonstrates the medium’s dramatic possibilities.
One miraculously indelible moment, where all of Hosoda’s storytelling faculties are on display at full force, comes as Suzu reclaims her voice in a climatic performance that leaves one breathless, jaw on the floor, and possibly in tears. This sing-along is unlike any other animation. You will feel the soothing effects of its melodies wash over you once you are drawn into their radiance.
This fairytale is a masterpiece of imagination and beauty for today’s modern world. “Belle”It engulfs you with its youthful preoccupations and clever mechanics. As the reflective subtext emerges, it invites you to connect with others offline and to avoid the comfort of these surrogate identities. They are a safe haven from the real world, but they do not represent the entire picture.
With “Belle,” Hosoda doesn’t issue a lament about the internet’s voracious power to dictate our social order and engagement with the analog world. He instead offers a positive, but cautious view of the internet’s potential benefits. The power to make these intangible platforms of communication work is still in the hands and control of those who are behind them, regardless of how the human condition may have changed.
“Belle”In US theatres, Jan. 14.