Anyone seen "Belle" yet?

[LeafByNiggle]

It was just released in the US on January 12 in mainstream theaters. I have not seen it yet, but I am interested. It is the latest from Momoru Hosoda ("The Girl who Leapt Through Time", "Summer Wars", "Wolf Children", "Mirai"). It combines the talents of Hosoda's usual 2D animators with the 3D work being done by the Irish animation studio, Cartoon Saloon ("Wolfwalkers", "The Book of Kells"). The story takes place in the real world and in a massive social media virtual world called "U". There are clips on YouTube. I was surprised that it is getting such a wide mainstream release in the US. There are showing of both the Japanese version with subtitles and the English dub. I just wondered if anyone here has seen it yet?

 

[angelsaroundme]

The animation is incredible. I was glad to see it on a theater screen as I've seen almost no anime in theater. For me, the animation and music is the reason to see it. The story maybe has too much going on although I appreciate that they were trying to do some things different than what you typically see in a movie.

 

[Bramblewild]

Weird but also frustrating story: I'd planned to see Belle this afternoon, as this was the last day it would be showing at the closest theater. Checked the cinema's site before going, and suddenly it was no longer listed. Drove there anyway, it was still on the outside signs, but not listed inside. Asked about it at the register, and they said something had happened to the screen and they weren't showing it.

So, yeah, real frustrating. I could go to a cinema further away where it's still showing, not sure I want to deal with the hassles, not to mention the weather his weekend could be far too interesting for much driving.

 

[angelsaroundme]

I think if it's a lot of hassle it'd be better to wait and see it on your TV.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

OK, I have now see Belle in the theater - the English dub. Overall I am somewhat disappointed.

The visuals are indeed stunning, as is the music. But the story line is weak. I mean, it would have been a good story line for a 30 to 60 minute shorter film, but for a 2 hour film it was weak. There was too much pointless exposition about the nature of the virtual world - the "U". And hardly any of the facts presented in that exposition are crucial to the plot. I suppose it was just necessary for the audience to understand what the "U" is and how it works. But that's just the risk of introducing a setting that is unfamiliar to the audience. That is why Ghibli's Spirited Away was so much more relatable to the Japanese audience. They were already familiar with the idea of a Bath House and Shinto spirit legends.

A lot of the action seems to have no compelling motivation. There were times when I felt like falling asleep. However the last half hour was very good! It is too bad we had to sit through a boring 1.5 hours just to get that payoff. Interestingly, that last half hour was almost entirely in the real world - not the virtual world of "U", making it so much more relatable. I won't give it all away, but that last half hour does finally resolve the issue that Suzu (Belle) had with her late mother - the one who sacrificed her life to try to save some stranger's child - the act that traumatized Suzu long ago and has prevented her from singing in the real world. If they had just reworked the first 1.5 hours and cut out much of the floating around in virtual space where nothing has consequences, it might have been Momoru Hosoda's best film. (Also, having seen it in the theater, I don't think it is necessary. The visuals and music would be just as good when viewed at home.)