From The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to Belle, from Summer Wars to Wolf Children, Studio Chizu co-founder Mamoru Hosoda has crafted some stunning animated movies in his long career. Now, a new artbook takes a look at the process behind bringing those movies to life.
io9 has got a look inside Abrams’ new artbook The Man Who Leapt Through Film: The Art of Mamoru Hosoda. Penned by animation historian Charles Solomon, the book focuses on Hosoda’s career through a series of interviews providing insight on the creative process for each of his films, alongside never-before seen concept art, storyboards, background illustrations, and character designs.
Click through to see an exclusive first look at some of the book’s early art from the making of two Hosoda classics — 2012’s Wolf Children and 2009’s Summer Wars — as well as more art from the book, including an early concept for the digital protagonist of Hosoda’s latest film, the internet-fantasy Belle.
The Man Who Leapt Through Film: The Art of Mamoru Hosoda is set to release next week on August 16, and is available to pre-order now.
Three lively drawings from Wolf Children (2012) show Yuki effortlessly transitioning from human child to wolf pup while her brother, Ame, looks on.
Part Two…
… and Part Three!
Layout drawing from Summer Wars (2009). The layout drawing of the interior of the Jinnouchi home shows armour and weapons used by their samurai ancestors in the late 16th century.
The finished background painting…
Finally, this still-frame from Summer Wars shows that when Sakae grows angry at her adopted son Wabisuke, she menaces him with a naginata, a halberd-like weapon taken from the display of armour.
Background painting from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), of the hillside where key action in the film occurs.
Preliminary study of Belle in costume by Jin Kim for Belle (2021).
Early studies of the Dragon by Kageichi Akiya for Belle show the artist exploring his costume, proportions, and posture. The rich but tattered cloak, hunched shoulders, and hanging head suggest the Dragon’s melancholy loneliness.
A preliminary study for Dragon’s castle for Belle. The fantastic architectural details and needle-base are possible in the cyber world.
Animation drawing of Makoto (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, 2006) as she lands amid the trash cans at her school after a time leap.
Two animation drawings from Summer Wars, showing the rogue AI program Love Machine battling King Kazma, martial arts champion of OZ.
