April 29, 2025 – Celebrated anime director Mamoru Hosoda (Belle, Mirai, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) returns after four years with his newest feature film Scarlet Beyond. Scheduled to premiere in Japan on November 21, the film will see a U.S. theatrical release on December 12. A teaser trailer has been released, offering the first glimpse of the protagonist’s voice and new visuals.
Set in a dark, fantastical world, Scarlet Beyond centers on Princess Scarlet, whose father, the king, is assassinated. Her attempt to exact revenge ends in failure, and she awakens in a surreal realm known as the “Land of the Dead.” In this unforgiving world filled with madness, she is told that unless she avenges her father and reaches the fabled “unseen place,” she will vanish into oblivion. Her perilous journey of vengeance thus begins.
The newly revealed teaser visual depicts Scarlet in a blood-stained white dress, sword in hand, surrounded by corpses as she stares defiantly at the viewer—an image in stark contrast to the bright skies and hopeful tones typical of Hosoda’s previous films.
Hosoda explained that he chose revenge as the central theme due to the persistent cycles of violence seen globally in recent years. “When I see what’s happening in the world, I sense a growing pattern of deep resentment and retaliation. It feels like we’re stuck in a loop of vengeance,” Hosoda said. “If someone is forced into a situation where revenge is the only choice, what should they do? That’s the moral dilemma I wanted to explore.”
The teaser footage also shows Scarlet traveling through the Land of the Dead—a vast desert landscape with towering castles, volcanic eruptions, and flashes of lightning. One scene features her battling numerous soldiers, her face covered in sand. A dragon is also briefly seen, hinting at the film’s epic scale.
While the identity of the voice actor for Scarlet remains undisclosed, the trailer ends with her voice asking, “Where… is this?” The film’s story draws inspiration from a well-known classic, though specific details remain under wraps.
Hosoda began conceptualizing Scarlet Beyond in March 2022, deeply impacted by global unrest in the post-pandemic world. “Peace feels fragile now,” he remarked. “This film asks how we should live in a world that is no longer peaceful.”