MOVIE NEWS – Sony Pictures has announced a collaboration with Studio CHIZU and Nippon TV to co-produce and co-finance Scarlet, the upcoming animated feature from Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda, known for hits like Belle and Mirai. This highly anticipated project will tell the tale of a courageous princess navigating adventures that span across time and space. Scheduled for a global release (excluding Japan) in winter 2025, Scarlet will be distributed by Sony in most territories, while Toho will handle its debut in Japan.

The film is being produced by Yuichiro Saito (Studio CHIZU), Toshimi Tanio (Nippon TV), and Nozomu Takahashi (Studio CHIZU). The storyline promises to blend Hosoda’s signature mix of emotional depth and imaginative storytelling.

Hosoda began his career at Toei Animation in 1991, where he worked as an animator. His first directorial credit came in 1999 with Digimon Adventure. Over the years, he has crafted critically acclaimed films like Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), the latter winning the inaugural Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation. In 2009, Hosoda directed Summer Wars, which garnered multiple awards and was showcased at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival.

In 2011, Hosoda co-founded Studio CHIZU alongside producer Yuichiro Saito. This collaboration led to the creation of notable films such as Wolf Children (2012) and The Boy and the Beast (2015). His 2018 work Mirai earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, further cementing his reputation as a visionary director. Hosoda’s most recent film, Belle (2021), premiered at the 74th Cannes Film Festival and became his highest-grossing movie, amassing $65 million globally.

Source: Deadline