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Belle (竜とそばかすの姫, Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime, literally "the dragon and the freckled princess") is a 2021 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu. It is based on and inspired by the 1756 French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
The film received its world premiere on July 15, 2021, at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it was well-received by critics with a standing ovation that lasted fourteen minutes. It was released theatrically in Japan on July 16, 2021. GKIDS has licensed the film in North America, with a nationwide release date of January 14, 2022, and previews in select IMAX theaters on January 12, while Anime Limited will release the film in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2022.
Belle is the third-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, accounting for ¥6.53 billion in box-office rakings as of December 12, 2021.