Mamoru Hosoda’s ‘Scarlet’ Sets Release Date With Surreal Trailer

Mamoru Hosoda’s next animated film, Scarlet, has set a December release date. The movie follows Oscar-nominated Japanese filmmaker’s Cannes hit Belle and is highly anticipated among genre fans. Sony will distribute the feature outside Japan while Toho will handle the film’s domestic theatrical distribution. While all the details are kept tightly under wraps, the movie is described as “the story of a brave princess who transcends time and space.”

A new trailer has been released, accompanying the release date, which brings ethereal landscapes to life as our titular heroine prepares for battle. The slick animation sees her turning from a princess to a blood-soaked warrior, and that’s probably enough to get fans into the theatres.

The movie’s official website describes Scarlet as a survival story, as the (translated) log line reads, “Princess Scarlet, whose father was killed and whose revenge failed, wakes up in the ‘Land of the Dead.’ In this world filled with madness, if she does not exact revenge on her nemesis and reach the ‘Endless Place,’ she will become “nothing” and disappear.”

‘Scarlet’ Will Be a “Revenge Story”

Furthermore, Hosoda described Scarlet as a “revenge story” inspired by the events happening in the world. He said:

“I feel that deep resentment and desire for revenge are born one after another. If you take revenge, there will be retaliation. The chain never ends. You have to get out of that loop somewhere, but it’s not something that can be easily broken out of. If the protagonist in the movie is cornered in a situation where he has no choice but to take revenge, or if we were cornered, what actions should we take? Even if we know in our heads that we have to break the loop of revenge, is it emotionally possible to do so? I felt like I was confronted with a challenge. So I decided to make a “revenge story.””

Hosoda is well known among fans for his character designs, depictions of surreal magic, and stories that tug at our hearts. Fans will also know Hosoda for directing the One Piece TV series, One Piece: Baron Omatsuri, and the Secret Island movie. However, it was his work on Mirai, which follows a 4-year-old boy who is struggling to cope with the arrival of a little sister in the family, that scored an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and made him a household name.

Scarlet will hit US theatres on December 12. You can check out the trailer above and stay tuned to Collider for more such updates.

Belle

Release Date

July 16, 2021

Runtime

121 minutes

Director

Mamoru Hosoda

Writers

Mamoru Hosoda

Producers

Nozomu Takahashi, Genki Kawamura, Yuichiro Saito, Yuka Saito, Hibiki Itou, Takeshi Kikuchi, Toshimi Tanio

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  Kaho Nakamura

  Suzu Naito / Belle (voice)

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  Ryo Narita

  Shinobu Hisatake (voice)

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  Shota Sometani

  Shinjiro ‘Kamishin’ Chikami (voice)

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  Tina Tamashiro

  Ruka Watanabe (voice)