Anyone passing through the busy thoroughfare of Camden Town in North London will be struck by an unexpected sight this week - an enormous image of an animated character with pink dayglo hair. Who is Belle indeed?
Artist collective Global Street Art have painted the giant mural in the iconic spot in the historic Camden Lock location, to showcase the acclaimed smash-hit film BELLE, released exclusively in UK cinemas this month.
Painted over three days by a team of four, and capturing the extraordinary textures of this soon-to-be-legendary movie character, the mural is the very definition of eye-catching. Images showing the work in progress are available here and shots of the finished work here.
Watch a Timelapse of the Painting Process at the link above.
Says Andrew Partridge, Anime Limited's co-founder and CEO: "BELLE reflects just how entwined the digital world is with our own, so we wanted to ensure that promotion for the film lived up to that spirit. Establishing a meaningful physical presence in the heart of London to pair with our online efforts felt like the most sincere way to do that. I think it's impossible to see such stunning artwork in person and not ask yourself, 'Who is Belle?'"
The film, directed by Oscar-nominated, visionary director Mamoru Hosoda, tells the story of a shy teenage girl whose metaverse avatar, Belle, is a world famous singer. It has already pulled in $60million worldwide, becoming Hosoda's highest-grossing film ever, while the trailer has already racked up 4 million views on YouTube.
BELLE is released in UK cinemas this week, 4th February. BELLE had its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with a 14-minute long standing ovation, had its UK premiere screening in competition at the 65th BFI London Film Festival, and has received a host of five star reviews.
