Animation veteran Mamoru Hosoda has managed to garner millions of viewers thanks to the phenomenal direction and script that has starred in films like Mirai, nominated for the 2019 Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and the latest NICEat the center of an important initiative in the city where it is set.
Ochi, a small town in Kochi Prefecture, was chosen by Hosoda as the setting for BELLE and for the past few days has been home to a memorial dedicated to one of the film’s most representative characters: the dragon, or rather the digital manifestation in social virtual reality known as Boy-U. The immediate connection that connects the protagonist to the dragon is one of the central aspects of the film and for that reason it is Yokogurayama Natural Forest Museum decided to house a 2 meter tall statue of the creature.
The statue was made by the artists at Kaiyodo Co. and cost $62,100 including shipping. This amazing tribute will surely attract many tourists to the city of Ochi, and the mayor himself is sure: “We hope that everyone who visits the city after seeing the film will understand that how important is the nature of Ochiand that their experiences can be a catalyst to pass them on to future generations”.
Hosoda himself was also present at the statue delivery ceremony, as you can see in the photo below, who did not hesitate to repeat the beauty of the place: “When I came to Ochi three years ago, I heard about it stumbled across the setting for my film“.
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