83
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinBelle is a beautifully observed, dazzlingly animated sci-fi fairy tale about our online-offline double lives – it’s Hosoda’s finest film since 2012’s Wolf Children, and perhaps his best to date.
- 100Time OutPhil de SemlyenTime OutPhil de SemlyenMamoru Hosoda’s cyber fairy-tale is basically wall-to-wall bangers, all backdropped by virtual worlds that wash over you in waves of world-building so detailed and epic, they’d make William Gibson’s eyes pop.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungPerhaps the most ambitious film to date by Japanese animator Mamoru Hosoda.
- 83The PlaylistIana MurrayThe PlaylistIana MurrayThe film strikes a careful balance between the high school drama and the online realm but also explores how those two environments bleed into each other.
- 83The Film StageRory O'ConnorThe Film StageRory O'ConnorBelle is the most ambitious work yet from Hosoda.
- 80Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonAt first, it appears that Hosoda merely wants to remake Beauty And The Beast, but there are surprises in store that shouldn’t be spoiled. Let it be said, however, that what makes Belle affecting in its later stretches is Hosoda’s subversion of that fairy tale’s narrative — in particular, its notion of true beauty and the reasons why the Beast has grown so withdrawn and distrustful.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIn a sense, movies aren’t so different from the virtual worlds a platform like U offers, and this one promises a special kind of escapism while going out of its way to keep it real.
- 75IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichHosoda is a born maximalist with a big heart, and while his most ambitious moonshot to date isn’t quite able to arrange all of its moving parts together along the same orbit, it’s impressive to see how many of them remain moving all the same.
- 75Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithFor all of the film’s visually striking action and musical set pieces, it’s the generosity of spirit with which it approaches the modern teenage experience that’s its most impressive attribute.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s all a little hard to follow. But it’s always a wonder to look at, and even children will pick up on the fact that this is a different take on a classic tale, even if they, like the adults watching it with them, may sit on the fence about how well this hybrid story works.