GKIDS has revealed more details about Belle's home video release.
The anime distributor announced that Belle, the latest movie from celebrated director Mamoru Hosoda, will be released on digital platforms on May 3. The movie will be released physically in a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack on May 17. A special edition package, which will include Blu-ray and DVD copies of the film in a Steelbook case, will be released on the same day and will be sold exclusively at Target stores. The movie can be preordered on GKIDS' official website.
The home video releases will include a number of extras, including an interview with Hosoda, scene breakdowns and a behind-the-scenes video that goes in-depth into the production of the movie's acclaimed soundtrack. The Blu-ray release will feature a number of exclusive extras, including a new making of featurette, a design gallery, and a video of voice actor Kylie McNeill, the English voice actor for protagonist Suzu, performing the movie's theme, "Gales of Song."
Belle tells the story of Suzu Naito, a teenage girl who lost her mother at a young age and now has difficulty expressing herself in front of others. Suzu shyness keeps her from performing in reality, but in the virtual social network of U, Suzu adopts the persona of Belle, a popular diva with a worldwide following numbering in the billions. Belle's singing career takes a turn, however, after she encounters the Beast, a violent user with a monstrous avatar, who is being hunted by the social network's security vigilantes.
Belle was a massive success in Japan, where it earned 6.5 billion yen (about $57 million USD). The animated movie was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, finishing behind three films from established franchises: the smash-hit prequel movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Hideaki Anno's anime finale Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01: Thrice Upon a Time and Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet, which took first, second and third place respectively. GKIDS gave the movie a limited theatrical release in the United States, where it pulled in an addition $3 million USD in its first two weeks and became Hosoda's biggest box-office success in the region.
The film has been equally well received by critics as well: after receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews in Japan, the movie made its international debut at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a 14-minute standing ovation from the event's audience. Hosoda's latest work has been given a Fresh rating from reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with a 95% approval rating from both professional critics and audiences alike.
Source: GKIDS
