From the celebrated Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, creators of Mirai, Wolf Children, and Summer Wars, comes a fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media.
Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U,” a massive virtual world, she escapes into the online persona of Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.
For in-depth thoughts on Belle, please see my colleague Devin McGrath-Conwell’s review from its original theatrical release here.
The Blu-Ray release of Belle was previously covered here. For a look at the new Collector’s Edition, please check out our unboxing video:
Video Quality
Belle comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with an eye-popping 2160p HDR transfer along with Dolby Vision. One of the first things you will notice are the wondrous colors which truly dazzle as they all but melt your eyeballs with the wide range of hues permeating every inch of the frame. From the opening moments of the film, you are welcomed to a deep range of highly nuanced colors. The textures of the character designs and the environments are even more impressive and bring great life to the project. Stylistically, the film balances the fluid texture of the traditional hand-drawn animation with some of the polished digital animation in the “U” world quite impressively. Each character design is very distinct and flowing in a natural way. The subtle elements that are added to each individual is quite striking. This goes double for the care and precision put into each environment which renders perfectly here.
While we thought the Blu-Ray was pretty dazzling, we can now see some deficits when compared with the new presentation. This new 4K UHD release clears up some of the minor banding that could be found in some backgrounds of the Blu-Ray. The black levels are supremely deep, leaving room for colors to explode to life when juxtaposed with the darkness. While we had no real qualms with the Blu-Ray presentation, this 4K presentation showcases how the format can subtly enhance all of the strong aspects for something even more jaw dropping. Most will not find this to be a night and day difference, but those who appreciate what HDR and Dolby Vision brings to a viewing experience will consider this the only way to view it moving forward. You will not be let down by this visual journey.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray presentation not only includes upgraded video, but also an upgraded audio track in the form of a Dolby Atmos presentation in its original Japanese and an English dub with optional English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles. While the previous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the Blu-Ray disc sounds great, this Dolby Atmos track gives the film a much more dynamic and immersive quality that is hard to resist. The score has never sounded more grand alongside the songs that soar out of Belle while performing in U. Narratively, this is one of the most important pieces of the film, and it is pinpoint accurate when it comes to its placement throughout the room. This is aided by the expanded channel allotment in the Atmos mix including overhead channels which makes both the music and active world of U more robust.
Dialogue comes through crystal clear at all times without being overwhelmed by any of the varied environmental sounds or the score. There is also a nice amount of sonic detail in the surround channels as the players in “U” create a fully realized world. There are some really fun panning effects in the rear channels that add a nice texture to the story. The track employs some healthy activity in the low end when the things get a little more kinetic. The English-language cast does a fine job, but be sure to stick with the original Japanese language for maximum enjoyment. This audio presentation is something special.
Special Features
Collector’s Edition Exclusive Supplements:
- Behind The Japanese Dub: A 42-minute piece which follows director Mamoru Hosoda as he works with his Japanese voice cast to get to the place he envisions in his head. Throughout this piece, you get to see moments with nearly every cast member attempting to lay down a performance while receiving guidance from Hosoda in a way that really gives depth to their performance. During transitions between performers, you also get interviews with the actors in which they discuss their experiences working with the director.
- Promo Events with Hosoda and Cast: A nearly 41-minute collection of events that starts with the July 6th, 2021 completion press conference featuring Belle’s cast and crew discussing the creation of the film, the feelings about seeing the completed film, recording the scenes with singing, the songs in the film, their roles in the film, what it is like working with Hosoda and more. Next we have the premiere day stage greetings from July 16th, 2021 in which most of the same talent gather to discuss similar topics including the memorable moments they had with one another, what it was like portraying their characters, the themes of the narrative, and more while Hosoda beams in lives from the Cannes Film Festival. Finally, on September 11th, 2021, Hosoda offers thanks for making the film a hit before being surprised with a special guest that longtime fans of Hosoda will love.
- Special Dialogues with Cast: A 24-minute piece which offers conversations between the cast including Kaho Nakamura x Takeru Satoh and Kaho Nakamura x Lilas Ikuta. These pair discuss quite a bit including their thoughts upon receiving the offer to work on the film, how they developed their characters, singing in the film, the challenges they faced and more.
- Interview with Takeru Satoh: A six-minute interview with Satoh (“The Beast”) in which he discusses his feelings about seeing the film, his specific character, impression of the character of Belle, working with Hosoda and more.
- Eric Wong Interview: A 27-minute virtual interview with Hosoda and Eric Wong, who designed the world of “U” in which they discuss their collaboration to make this film, the unique way in which they came together, taking an international approach to talent with Belle, inspirations for the design and much more.
- 60-Page Book: This exclusive booklet includes some visuals from the film, lyrics, interviews with the director, cast,and staff, illustrations, reviews and and art gallery
- 6 Art Cards
- Mini-Poster
- Sticker
Blu-Ray Supplements:
- The Making Of Belle: A 44-minute behind-the-scenes documentary in which the creatives discuss the ideas behind the film, break down the character and environmental designs, showcase the creation of the music, give a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the vocal performances, the implementation of digital animation, the first screening of the film and more.
- A Conversation With Director Mamoru Hosoda: A 29-minute conversation with the director in which he talks about his inspiration for the film, the themes of the narrative, the challenges he faced during the creative process, the current state of the animation industry and more. This is a really thoughtful piece which enhances your appreciation of the story even more.
- The Music Of Belle: A nearly 16-minute piece in which Music Director/Composer Taisei Iwasaki, Composer Ludvig Forssell, and Music Supervisor Taka Chiyo discuss the process of creating the music for this world, the collaborative nature of the project, what qualities they brought to the “game” world and the “real” world, the feelings they wanted to evoke in the viewers, working with Kylie McNeill and more.
- Finding The Voice Of Belle: A 12-minute piece which takes a look at the English dub of Belle from the team at GKIDS and NYAV Post, adapting the songs to English language, bringing context to the delivery of the performer, and more.
- Scene Breakdown – The Station: An 11-minute look in which director Mamoru Hosoda breaks down the scene at the train station including character movement and subtle glances, the contributions of his animators, the sound design, the framing of the scene, and more that you might overlook in terms of complexity of construction
- Scene Breakdown – The Ballroom: Another 12-minute breakdown from Hosoda in which he takes a look at the Ballroom scene and all of its facets including the thoughtfulness of the singing, the emotional nimbleness of the character, character expressions, the importance of costumes and more.
- Hosoda @ Animation Is Film: An 18-minute piece at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2021 hosted by film critic Peter Debruge in which director Mamoru Hosoda discusses his ideas behind the film, what he wanted to accomplish specifically with this film and more. Later, film critic Leonard Maltin continues this questioning as the director talks about making films with kids in mind, the design of the character and more. These two interviews are woven together.
- Hosoda Draws Belle: A nine-minute piece in which Hosoda takes you through his process of drawing Belle.
- Design Gallery: A vast gallery that you can toggle through to get a look at various character designs from the film and concept art.
- Kylie McNeill Performs “Gales Of Song”: A nearly three-minute rendition of the English-language version of the song.
- Trailers: A seven-minute collection of trailers for the film including the English Dub Trailer, International Trailer #1, International Trailer #2, International Teaser #1, International Teaser #2 and International Teaser #3.
Final Thoughts
Belle is a tremendously moving and captivating narrative that takes the classic Beauty and the Beast conceit and gives it a whole new life. Director Mamoru Hosoda continues his streak of taking on themes of society’s relationship with social media and grounds it in something very human and personal. The artistry put forth by his entire team is awe-inspiring, and the music is momentous enough to stick with you long after you have walked away from the film. Shout! Factory and GKIDS have delivered an awe-inspiring Collector’s Edition set with a stunning 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc and a fascinating array of new special features. The packaging for this Collector’s Edition is simply beautiful and offers up many treats that fans of the series will love. If you are someone with a deep appreciation for this film, this new Collector’s Edition presents the ideal way to engage with it. Essential
Belle 4K UHD Blu- Ray Collector’s Edition will be available to own on August 30, 2022. The film is currently available digitally and on Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory and GKIDS have supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.