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Belle | 2021 | PG | – 3.3.2
Why is “Belle” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic content, violence, language and brief suggestive material.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a suggestive scene with suggestive nudity, some awkward flirting, a woman dies by drowning, a scene of child abuse, several scenes of fighting in a virtual community, name-calling and bullying, and some moderate language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.
A shy girl (voiced by Kaho Nakamura) struggles with loneliness after the death of her mother, until she enters the virtual universe of U, where she can be who she really wants to be. Also with the voices of Ryô Narita, Shôta Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Ikura, Sumi Shimamoto, Kôji Yakusho and Ermhoi. Directed by Mamoru Hosoda. In Japanese with English subtitles. [Running Time: 2:01]
Belle SEX/NUDITY 3
– A boy grabs a girl’s hand and tries to talk to her; she blushes and walks away. A boy asks a girl, “Do you have a small crush on me?” A girl and a dragon dance and spin around in the air in a virtual community, and she hugs him and presses her head against his.
► A woman teases a girl about being in love with a bad boy. A marching band plays and several girls watch and talk about one musician being like a princess. A girl says that a boy proposed to her when they were 6 years old. A girl says that a boy said, “What’s wrong with you? You’re creeping me out,” when she tried to talk to him. A man talks about tattoos on his back resembling the bruises that his lover suffered after being injured. Two boys and a girl embrace.
► Three women on a screen wear skimpy underwear that reveals cleavage, bare abdomens, bare backs and legs to the buttocks, and they strike suggestive poses while on a bed. A woman is shown wearing a sports bra that reveals cleavage and her bare abdomen. A man removes his shirt and we see surgical scars. A man is shown shirtless with many tattoos that resemble bruises on his back.
Belle VIOLENCE/GORE 3
– Two boys and a girl embrace and a man tries to separate them; he cuts the girl’s face and we see a bloody wound, she turns to face him and he raises his fist to her and yells (he does not strike her).
► A character in a virtual community shoots a green laser at another character and talks about unveiling him (revealing his true identity); the dragon tears apart a metal framework and uses it to fight several others. We understand that a girl’s mother died and we see the events that caused her death; the woman wades into a fast moving river to save a child and the child is retrieved but the woman apparently drowns and the young girl stands on the river bank calling to her mother, “Don’t leave me.” A man enters a room where his young son is and throws a vase on the floor and raises his hand to hit the boy; his son falls to the floor in fear and another son shields him as the man yells, “Go disappear, you’re worthless.”
► A virtual community is shown where a dragon (it has horns and claws) swoops through a scene and attacks another character: they fight, several others join the fight and when they are beaten by the dragon, we see them encased in what looks like ice. A castle is shown completely engulfed in flames in a virtual community. A dragon picks up a girl and flies away when she is threatened by several others to unveil her; the dragon is punched in the face repeatedly by the others and he crashes into a building and falls toward the ground. A character holds a girl’s head and points a glowing weapon at her face, flames burst up around the character, he is struck by a wall of water, and he punches a tiny flying character (we see several flying characters injured and lying on the ground later). A dragon roars loudly at a girl in a few scenes in a virtual community and tells her to leave him alone; he says, “I’ll bite your head off.” A character in a virtual community points a weapon at a girl and when she is bathed in a green light, she transforms to her real self.
► A girl is shown to panic in several scenes and she hyperventilates and sweats. Several girls push microphones toward another girl telling her to sing and she panics and runs out of the room. A girl describes another girl as being ignored. People remark about a woman’s death and say that she practically committed suicide going into the river to save someone else’s child. A girl asks, “Why am I alone?” A girl complains about her friend “roasting” her all the time. A girl says that another girl is crying all the time. A girl tells another girl to stop moping all the time. Several women yell at a girl to sing and she blushes, hides and leaves the room. A girl says that a boy said, “What’s wrong with you? You’re creeping me out,” when she tried to talk to him. People talk about a dragon character in a virtual community and that he fights dirty and that he has bruises tattooed on his back. People in a virtual community say that one character thinks she’s better than they are. A girl and a boy talk to each other across a busy street as cars and busses speed between them. We hear about a virtual community that employs “body sharing technology” and reads people’s biometrics to make the experience as real as possible.
► A girl vomits over the side of a bridge and we see goo drop into the water and more goo on her face and hands. A dog is shown to be missing a paw. A young girl falls and cries and her mother comforts her. A girl falls on the ground and hits her head (we see a bruise). A dragon in a virtual community collapses on the floor and glowing spots appear on his cloak. A man removes his shirt and we see surgical scars. A man is shown shirtless with many tattoos that resemble bruises on his back.
Belle LANGUAGE 2
– 5 mild obscenities, name-calling (ugly, cynic, mousy country bumpkin, nerdy, clueless, creepy, weird, idiot, minor league, nonsense, brutal, little brat, selfish, ordinary girl, weird, crooked businessman, sewer rat, sexy, loser, bad boy, flirty girls, frustrated girls, gloomy, lone wolf, ugly origin, jerk, irritating, violent man), exclamations (wait up, hey, chill, calm down, get away from me, oh no, stop it, beat it, hurry, goodness no, shut-up, ew, ow, screw you, buzz off, get a move on, gimme a break, shush, wow). | profanity glossary |
Belle SUBSTANCE USE
– None.
Belle DISCUSSION TOPICS
– Death of a parent, drowning, being shy, virtual reality, popularity, jealousy, pity, sympathy, trust, bullying, child abuse, guilt, secrets, happiness.
Belle MESSAGE
– Fight your fears.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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