It is only a matter of time before Mamoru Hosoda’s latest film in theaters this Friday, so Studio Chizu and the film’s distributor have shared a new trailer for Belle. In a more than three-minute video clip, the film’s opening scene is shown in its entirety, introducing us to U, Belle’s virtual world similar to a metaverse. While this trailer is mostly a showcase of Studio Chizu’s virtuoso animation work, we also get to hear a fantastic English cover of Millennium Parade’s “U” and learn more about the story as well.
The writer, Suzu, is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural town with her father. One day, Suzu, who lost her mother at a young age, discovers the massive online world “U” and enrolls herself in it as her avatar, Belle in an effort to find some solace. It is not long before all of U’s eyes are focused on Belle when, suddenly, a mysterious figure similar to a dragon appears before her.
