Belle

Suzu lost her mother as a child and has not been able to sing since. In a vast virtual world called U she creates an avatar named Belle, and there she can. When she meets a harsh user called the Dragon, she discovers the person behind him is a bullied middle schooler. Mamoru Hosoda builds it on Beauty and the Beast while reversing which way the rescue runs. The collaborations are worth noting: veteran Disney animator Jin Kim handled character design and the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon worked on backgrounds. Kaho Nakamura, who voices Belle, both speaks and sings the part, which is exactly why she was cast. It drew a fourteen-minute standing ovation at Cannes. Rotten Tomatoes has 95 percent of 130 critics positive, with the consensus pointing at the dazzling animation. It grossed 64.7 million dollars worldwide and finished as the third highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, with five Annie nominations. Who it is for: viewers who want musical animation and a film thinking about online identity. Who it is not for: anyone who needs the last act to make sense. The final resolution is emotionally strong and practically strained, and that is where critics caught on it too.