Belle director Mamoru Hosoda is apparently a big fan of Pixar's Turning Red.
As reported by Comic Natalie, the celebrated anime creator shared a sketch of Mei, the protagonist of the latest Pixar movie, with the heroine of his latest work, Belle. Hosoda drew the illustration following a video interview with Domee Shi, the director of Turning Red. Shi stated that anime has been an influence on her work, and specifically cited Hosoda's frequent focus on female protagonists as an inspiration. The Pixar director revealed that there is even a direct homage to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a movie which Hosoda directed in 2006, in Turning Red. Hosoda similarly praised the new Pixar film, as he complimented its expressive CG-visuals and Shi's direction. A recording of the interview was uploaded to Disney+ Japan's official YouTube channel.
Belle was released in Japan in 2021 and was given a limited release in North American theaters last January. The movie tells the story of Suzu, a young girl who is held back by her shyness, but who finds a second life online as a popular singer. The movie has been both a massive critical and commercial success; the movie currently has a 95% Fresh rating from reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and is Hosoda's highest-grossing film in both the United States and Japan, where it was ranked fourth in the country's box-office rankings for the year.
Turning Red is Shi's directorial debut. The movie stars Rosalie Chang as Mei, a 13-year old Chinese-Canadian girl who transforms into a giant red panda whenever she experiences any strong emotions, such as excitement or anxiety. Mei must learn her family's history with the strange curse and figure out how to keep it under control before she can attend a concert for her favorite boy band. The movie also features the voices of Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy) Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Hyein Park, Wai Ching Ho (Daredevil, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens), and James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China). The movie has also been certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% positive review average.
Distributor GKIDS will release Belle as a digitial purchase on May 3, with a physical release on Blu-ray and DVD to follow on May 17. The movie will also be available in a Steelbook limited edition, which will only be available through the retailer Target.
Turning Red will be available for streaming exclusively through Disney+ on March 11. The film will also be released in theaters to regions where the streaming service is not available.
Source: Comic Natalie, YouTube
