The summer 2021 feature film season still feels tenuous when it comes to Japan but we do have a new anime film from Mamoru Hosoda with Belle. Working with Studio Chizu, it’s also known as Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime which translates as The Princess of Dragons and Freckles. Hosoda is directing it and working on the screenplay for it while being credited for the original work as well. It looks like this is another online world type of film where it looks to explore coming-of-age themes.
We knew previously that the film was set for a July 2021 premiere but it now has a formal date of July 16th, 2021 and the site has updated with more cast members that watch over Suzu with:
- Sachio Nakao as Hatanaka, a university lecturer
- Fuyumi Sakamoto as Okumoto, as a self-made farmer.
- Ryoko Moriyama as Yoshitani, a fisher and leader of the choir
- Yoshimi Iwasaki as Nakai, a doctor
- Michiko Shimizu, who runs a liquor store
The previously announced cast members include:
- Ryo Narita as Shinobu
- Shota Sometani as Shinjiro
- Tina Tamashiro as Ruka
- Rira Ikuta as Hiroka
- Toshiyuki Morikawa as Justian
- Kenjiro Tsuda as Jelinek
- Mami Koyama as Swan
- Mamoru Miyano as Muitaro Hitokawa and Tokoraemaru
What’s extra fascinating with this film is that it looks like the character designs came from Jin Kim, who worked on numerous Disney productions with Frozen to Moana, and that there’s some great mutual respect between Hosoda and Kim and have wanted to work together for some time. This became possible after Mirai.
In addition to that, the project also collaborated with Cartoon Saloon out of Ireland and a London-based architect named Eric Wong to design the internet space for the film settings.
Plot Concept: Our protagonist, Suzu, is a 17-year old high school girl, who lives in the countryside of Kochi Prefecture with her father, after losing her mother at a young age. She loves singing with her mother more than anything else, but as a result of her mother’s death was no longer able to sing.
It wasn’t long before she and her father grew more and more distant from each other, and Suzu closed her heart to the rest of the world.
When Suzu felt that writing music was her only purpose left in life, she then discovers the massive online space known as “U,” where she takes on her persona, Belle.
Another me. Another reality. We are no longer limited to a single world.
Suzu quickly realizes that when she is inside “U” as her avatar, Belle, she can sing quite naturally. As she continues to showcase her own music in the virtual world, she fast becomes the rising star of “U.”
Nonetheless, that surprise is short-lived. Suddenly, a mysterious dragon-shaped creature appears before her…
／
㊗️公開日決定✨
＼🎬『#竜とそばかすの姫』の
公開日が7月16日(金)に決定しました❗この夏、細田守監督渾身の最新作が
ついに、ベールを脱ぎます！！公開までお楽しみに❗#細田守#スタジオ地図 pic.twitter.com/p65EizB3QB
— 『竜とそばかすの姫』細田守最新作＠スタジオ地図 (@studio_chizu) May 14, 2021
Previous promos and visuals:
[Source: Cast via ANN]
