My wife is a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast, it is not just her favorite Disney movie, but her favorite movie of all time. The fact that she was blown away and moved to near tears by Belle told me that it was a movie that was a movie which is something very special indeed. I thought that it was incredibly well made and one of the better anime’s released in 2021.
How to Stream or Download Belle
To stream or to download Belle from a digital store, click on the Download button that is located at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
As you have probably figured out already, Belle is a new take on the classic Beauty and the Beast formula. What I think is interesting here is that they were clearly more invested in taking inspiration from Disney’s classic rather than the original story. I think this was a smart move as it gives, Belle more to play around with.
Our main character is a high-school student called, Suzu. Suzu loved to sing and was happy, but after seeing her mother die while saving a child, she became distant and no longer as loving. She has also lost her ability and love for singing as well which is a real shame.
Suzu does have a couple of close friends and her father tries his best to connect with her and make her happy. However, it is one of her friends who convinces her to join an online game called, U and she creates an avatar called Belle, and her life changes. She feels more confident, and happier and she is able to sing once again.
This virtual world of U is pretty neat and before long, she gets the confidence to sing in front of a digital crowd with her Belle avatar. Well, a creature known as The Dragon, attacks, causing havoc, and a vigilante group led by a jerk called Justin (who is pretty much Gaston) wants to find him and expose who he is.
Belle becomes very interested in The Dragon and thinks that there is more to him than the “beast” everyone in the virtual world of U says that he is. I know that what I have written here is pretty much Beauty and the Beast, however, the virtual setting and the way the story is told put a unique and fantastic spin on it that truly does captivate you and make you want to see Belle/Suzu be happy and get out of her funk that she is in.
As well as being a well-written story, Belle has some amazing voice acting and singing too. I watched the English dub of this movie and I have zero complaints about any of the performances here. They well and truly sucked me in and made me care a great deal about what was going on.
There have been many adaptations of Beauty and the Beast over the years, but I think Belle might be my favorite. Even my wife was blown away by this and had nothing but positive things to say and she is a hardcore Beauty and the Beast nerd! This is just a fantastic anime and one that is very easy for me to recommend to you guys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mamoru Hosoda’s anime movie Belle (2021) about?
Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda at Studio Chizu, Belle (2021) follows Suzu Naito, a shy grieving high schooler in rural Kochi Prefecture who stops singing after losing her mother. Entering the five-billion-user virtual world ‘U’ as freckled avatar Belle, she becomes a global music sensation and meets a misunderstood scarred Beast.
How did audiences at the Cannes Film Festival react to Belle?
Belle premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, where it received an extraordinary 14-minute standing ovation, one of the longest in festival history. Critics praised its dazzling CGI virtual concert sequences, emotional warmth, and original soundtrack co-composed by Ludvig Forssell and Taisei Iwasaki.
Who sings Belle’s songs in the Japanese and English dub versions?
Japanese indie singer-songwriter Kaho Nakamura voices Suzu and performs Belle’s soaring vocal tracks in the original Japanese audio, while singer Kylie McNeill voices Suzu and performs full English-adapted versions of songs like Gales of Song and A Million Miles Away in GKIDS’s English dub.
Where can you watch or download Belle in HD and 4K?
Distributed by GKIDS in North America, Belle streams on Max or Netflix depending on region, and can be purchased or rented as an official digital download in 4K UHD and HD with both Japanese and English audio on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google Play.
