The Boy and the Beast
Animation has always been at the heart of the Cinémathèque québécoise's conservation and programming activities. This program aims to rediscover some of our heritage, and to showcase recent productions.
The Boy and the Beast is a coming-of-age tale about Kyuta, a lonely Japanese boy living in Shibuya and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast inhabiting Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his guide and friend. That chance encounter leads them to many adventures filled with fantasy and action.
Mamoru Hosoda
Mamoru Hosoda is a Japanese anime director and animator. He began his career as an animator at Toei Animation in 1991, where he contributed to several of the studio's major series, such as Dragon Ball Z (1993), Slam Dunk (1994-95), and Sailor Moon (1996). In the late 1990s, he worked on numerous storyboards before making his directorial debut in 1999 with the first film adaptation of the Digimon Adventure saga. In 2005, he directed the sixth installment of the One Piece series. That same year, he left Toei Animation to work at Madhouse studio, eventually founding his own studio, Studio Chizu, in 2011. In 2015, he directed The Boy and the Beast, followed by Mirai in 2018, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2019. Five of his films, including these two, have been honored with the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.