'Belle': a fairy tale in the metaverse

Jean Cocteau, Philip Glass, Stevie Nicks, Emma Watson, Disney's animation department: someone somewhere is always updating Belle and the Beast, the 18th century French fairy tale. Mamoru Hosoda of Japan turns Belle into a shy village girl who has not sung since her mother died. But in U, a metaverse populated by five billion avatars, she does sing and becomes an instant celebrity.

While the world tries to find out who is behind the phenomenon in real life, Belle is dealing with a destructive avatar that is being chased out of the virtual paradise: Beast. Just like Wolf Children and Miraï, Belle is an anime of the highest order.

BELLE
JP, dir.: Mamoru Hosoda