The latest film BELLE from Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda is set to premiere later this year. Hosoda is largely known for his other films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children.

The upcoming release for the film was announced on the official site for Studio Chizu; a studio founded by Hosoda after he quit working for Madhouse. BELLE will be Studio Chizu’s fourth film after Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, and Mirai.

You can find the official trailer for BELLE below.

You can find a summary of the film from Studio Chizu below.

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…

At the time of publishing, it’s unknown if or when BELLE will receive an English release. The film is expected to premiere sometime in the summer of 2021 in Japanese theaters.