Studio Chizu

Studio Chizu was founded by Yūichirō Saitō and Mamoru Hosoda, both of which had ties to animation studio Madhouse. Saitō had been with Madhouse since 1999,^[4] and had co-produced The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which Mamoru Hosoda directed. The aim of the studio was described by Saito as an "auteur's studio" for Hosoda,^[5] who himself mentioned that creating Studio Chizu was necessary in order for him to make the films that he wanted to make.^[6]

Studio Chizu co-produced its first feature film Wolf Children with Madhouse, which was released in 2012. It earned roughly $55 million^[7] and won its first Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.^[2] In 2013, the studio was approached by a representative of French film company Gaumont, who wanted to work with Studio Chizu to distribute its films internationally.^[5] This distribution partnership was announced in 2014.^[8]

The studio went on to produce The Boy and the Beast, which was released in 2015 earning roughly $49 million^[9] and winning for a second time the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.^[3]

Studio Chizu produced Hosoda's next film, Mirai, in 2018 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.^[10][11] This film also won the studio its third Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in March 2019.^[12][13] The next film Belle, written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, premiered on July 15, 2021 at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,^[14] where it was well-received by critics with a standing ovation that lasted 14 minutes.^[15] It was theatrically released in Japan on July 16, 2021.^[16] It was theatrically released in the United States on January 14, 2022.^[17][18]