Anime master Mamoru Hosoda makes films that, even in their most elaborate form, can reach such staggering emotional heights that they seem to break free from everything you’re prepared for in an animated film – or in most types of movies, for that matter.
Any talented Japanese filmmaker working in fantasy animation inevitably draws comparisons to the great Hayao Miyazaki. But the most suitable touchstone for Hosoda might be Yasujiro Ozu. As visually or conceptually stunning as Hosoda’s films are, they are rooted in simple and profound human stories.
His latest film, Oscar-nominated Mirai, is one of the best family films in recent years. It centers on a 4-year-old boy who, faced with the arrival of a new little sister and dealing with new feelings of jealousy, is visited by his sister while in middle school. More time travel encounters follow, and a new understanding and empathy grows in the boy.
Hosoda’s latest, “Belle,” which opened in theaters Wednesday, is more complicated sketched. It’s an ultra-modern take on “Beauty and the Beast” that transfers the fairy tale into a digital metaverse realm called “U”. There, in a dizzying digital expanse that will satisfy any “Matrix” fan who has felt let down by the virtual worlds of “The Matrix Resurrections,” its 5 billion users can adapt any character they like.
17-year-old Suzu (voiced by Kaho Nakamura in the subtitled version I saw; an English dub also plays) reluctantly joins U as an avatar named Belle, a more exotic beauty than the modest and shy Suzu. In the U, Belle’s songs find massive fame that’s very different from Suzu’s own life, where one of her only friends is Hiroka (Lilas Ikuta), a computer whiz who helps create Belle. In U, Belle finds herself drawn to the metaverse’s notorious villain called the Dragon (or the Beast) who is hunted by a police force who want peace and smooth commerce in U.
You might think that a “Beauty and the Beast” anime turned internet parable sounds a little too elaborate – and about the furthest thing from Ozu’s demure simplicity. Hosoda is indeed aiming for a lot here, and “Beauty and the Beast” doesn’t always seem like a useful form for all the ideas floating around. Sometimes, “Belle” bends and cracks under her great ambitions.
But Hosoda’s heartfelt film heart never wavers. Set in both modern Japan and the virtual U, its footing in reality is firmly entrenched. Our first vision of Suzu is of a young girl watching her mother, in a brave act of selflessness, lose her life saving a child from a flood. Loss and grief consumed Suzu’s childhood; her virtual transformation into Belle is a chance to break free from some of her daily struggles. Music was part of his bond with his mother. This tragic backdrop – the way we treat strangers – is also part of the lessons of U, where anonymity breeds good and bad. Overall, it’s a surprisingly positive view of the internet’s ability to connect and break free. But what is most striking is how Hosoda marries the two realities despite their great differences. Every world sparkles. Clouds are made as mesmerizing as anything in U.
The film ultimately resides, intimately, with Suzu. Even with everything going on, “Belle” is deeply sensitive to its protagonist’s wounds, memories, and dreams. Each moment oscillates between its past and its present, reality and virtual reality. These worlds eventually coalesce in a scene of stunning catharsis – a song sung not by Belle, but by Suzu – and it’s one of the most intensely beautiful moments you’re likely to see, anywhere.
“Belle”, a release by GKIDS, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for thematic content, violence, language and brief suggestive material. Duration: 121 minutes. Three and a half out of four stars.
