Anime Limited has announced that the latest anime movie from acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda, Belle, has now scored a top-notch cast for its upcoming English-language version of the colourful musical.
Following his success from the 2018 Oscar-nominated feature Mirai, Mamoru’s Belle proves to be the filmmaker’s most ambitious and successful animated movie to date. Telling the story of a high school girl named Suzu overcoming trauma and finding her voice in a virtual reality world, the film has earned an impressive 6.5 million Yen since premiering in Japan in July 2021. Belle has been riding high on critical praise holding a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. In our review for the flick, we praised Mamoru’s innovative storytelling, writing: “Here is a film that has some banging tracks, a story that may make you cry, and will undoubtedly end up being any anime connoisseur’s bread and butter.”
Kylie McNeill is set to voice the lead character Suzu in the upcoming English-language version of the stunning production. She has also recorded the English version of Belle’s striking songs under the supervision of the film’s original music team. Joining McNeil in the voice cast are Chace Crawford (The Boys), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria).
GKIDS previously revealed that the flick would go international and be available to watch in both English subtitles and in an English dub on January 14, 2022, for US-based viewers. Anime Limited will be distributing the film exclusively for the UK and Ireland, with the film expected to release in theatres sometime in early 2022 – stay tuned for updates.
While we wait for Belle’s English-language version and new voice cast to make its big-screen debut, you can check out our list of the best anime series of all time.