Studio Chizu has announced their upcoming film BELLE will premiere in Japanese theaters on July 16th.

Studio Chizu is a studio co-founded by Hosoda Mamoru, the director of Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Digimon: The Movie. His latest film BELLE is a science-fiction story about a young girl who’s able to express her musical talents only in the online world of U.

You can find the trailer below.

A summary of the film from the official page can also be found 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…