As much as I remember promotions for this Hosoda film selling the influences of Beauty and the Beast, I think it's mostly present in some character and the design aspects.
Belle (2021) Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime
For me, the story and setting are more reminiscent of his earlier work, Summer Wars. But I won't spoil those elements. Instead, if you haven't seen Belle yet, just go in expecting something that deals very much with technology as much as romance.
(Which I'm mentioning as a positive aspect, it's a good, if uneven mix).
This will probably be a short review indeed, so I'll quickly say I enjoyed the film – even if something about the ending didn't live up to the rest of the story.
It's been quite a while since I finished Belle, and I haven't been able to articulate the issue I had. Stupid, really, considering a review is supposed to do exactly that 😀
Instead, I'll just mention three of my highlights:
- Quite obviously, the music. The film has superb songs and music in general, especially given the distinctive voice of Kaho Nakamura
- Another draw was character design, as I was fascinated to see a Disney character designer (for Belle's avatar) operating in an anime setting
- Finally, it was fun to see whales return, as it felt like nod to Summer Wars, even though their role as symbols is more important than any connection to Hosoda's previous films
Ultimately, the visuals and music trump the story for me, which is a little similar to how I remember Bubble. Obviously, film is full of visual language, and so visuals being so vital to my enjoyment is no surprise.
Still, something didn't fully gel for me in terms of the story.
3 Stars
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