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The celebrated Japanese director possesses a signature attraction to time-travel narratives. The storyteller behind beloved films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Mirai, and Belle constructs fantastical epics in which protagonists traverse both time and different realities. His latest animated feature, Scarlet, is absolutely in that same vein.

An Avenging Journey

Coming to American cinemas soon, this bold reinterpretation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet charts the story of Princess Scarlet, a defeated warrior sent to a limbo-like realm because she could not to avenge her father’s assassination by her uncle, Claudius. Accompanied by Hijiri, a first responder from contemporary Japan whose compassion challenges her bloodlust, Scarlet journeys across dreamlike battlefields, facing armies of the dead, inherited animosity, and the allure of the “Void” as she seeks out redemption and a path home.

“The global state of the world after COVID” and “the idea that people can’t forgive these days” are issues that “bring a lot of worry,” Hosoda noted.

It goes without saying, Hosoda takes ample creative liberty to make the classic plot uniquely his. What truly distinguishes Scarlet is how the director merges his signature style with this timeless narrative of retribution to advocate for global harmony.

Compassion in a Divided World

In the character of Scarlet, Hosoda explores a refusal to forgive, even though in her particular situation, those feelings seem understandable. When Scarlet at last meets Claudius, she has to decide between embracing vengeance or finding a life without revenge.

A significant portion of society continue to struggle from the disruption of the coronavirus era, and its consequences has resulted in a world profoundly split. Consequently, the younger generation, who grew up during lockdowns, has become notably distrustful. Hosoda states that Scarlet is “a positive message to the younger generation,” noting that the way Hamlet shows the never-ending loop of revenge is “still relevant today.”

A Father's Crucial Plea

However, the key difference between Scarlet and the work that served as its source material lies in what each protagonist's father tells them. In Hamlet, the ghost of King Hamlet urges his son to seek vengeance, in contrast, the final words of the king in Scarlet are a plea for his daughter to show mercy.

“It’s a perplexing directive because after everything done to her family,” Hosoda says. “She wonders how it can be so easy to forgive. The question facing Scarlet is how to deal with the passion, how to forgive. There are many similarities to our current international relations, and I wanted that reflected in the screenplay.”

While Shakespeare’s play chronicles its protagonist's slide into insanity, Hosoda aimed to offer a more optimistic character arc. The director highlights direct parallels between Scarlet and today’s youth — their raw idealism, their unforgiving anger, their difficulty to find empathy in a divided world.

A Timely Fairy Tale

A great deal of contemporary media leans into anxiety, but Scarlet pierces that gloom with stunning animation and a exceptional spark of hope. It edges toward camp, but its message resonates deeply: a revitalized classic with something timely and sincere to say.

Ultimately, a collective desire for humanity to find a solution “because of the cost of war.” Through the odyssey of Princess Scarlet, Hosoda presents not a simple answer, but a possibility of a path forward built on forgiveness rather than endless conflict.