Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' Gets a Stunning Anime Spin in Extended Preview of Mamoru Hosoda's 'Scarlet' [Exclusive]

Scarlet swimming through dream-like waters

In 2025, William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet had a bit of a Renaissance. Three major films tackled the classic story of revenge, death, and the divide between appearance and reality in one way or another, including Michael Lesslie's contemporary London-set Hamlet starring Riz Ahmed, Chloé Zhao's Oscar-winning Hamnet, exploring the life of Shakespeare and his wife as they cope with the loss of their young son, and Mamoru Hosoda's fantastical anime film Scarlet.

Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, the latter of the three reimagines the classic tale as a grand adventure across life and death, centering on a sword-wielding princess bound and determined to avenge the death of her father even after her own demise. It's now available on digital platforms, and to celebrate, Collider can exclusively share an extended preview that shows how Hosoda's vision both resembles and differs from its legendary roots. Unlike Hamlet, Scarlet begins in a world where the living and dead co-exist and the past and present blend together — the Otherworld. This surreal, desolate plane, where dragons swim through the oceanic sky, corpses speak, and lightning streaks down with unnatural ferocity, is where Scarlet winds up after apparently dying while trying to kill her sworn foe, Claudius. The similarities to the Shakespearean classic are more apparent when the footage flashes back to when the titular Princess of Denmark was still alive. Her life was initially happy under her father, the kind King Amleth, until her uncle Claudius, frustrated with being"humiliated" and determined to run the kingdom as he saw fit, conspired with Scarlet's cold mother Gertrude to seize power. A coup is orchestrated, leading to Amleth's execution for treason and sending his daughter on a tireless quest to avenge him. Much of Scarlet's journey takes place after being poisoned. When she learns that Claudius is in the Otherworld, too, she begins her journey anew, though a chance encounter may change her course. She meets a paramedic from the present day named Hijiri, the film's equivalent of Ophelia, who accompanies her as she carves a path towards her ultimate revenge. However, he tries to show her a better path, opening her eyes to the possibility of forgiveness and driving home the emptiness of vengeance with each person they meet. It evolves from a classic revenge tale into a journey to find peace, as Scarlet must weigh whether to lay her grudge to rest and heed the final words she never heard from her father. Like his 2021 metaverse film Belle, inspired by Beauty and the Beast, Hosoda evolves the original story into something uniquely his own and more positive with Scarlet, saying in a Q&A included with Collider's Exclusive Preview series last year: "Looking at the present-day conflicts, this movie is intended to be a thought-provoking experience. I hope it becomes an entry point for conversation. I think many moviegoers will relate to this idea of revenge. For me, it’s a romantic idea to many people all over the world. There’s always a revenge story. Everyone has someone they can’t forgive. Scarlet, too, suffers from this, but there’s a transformation. I want the audience to feel the process of change and what helps her realize there’s something more important than revenge." 'Scarlet' Is the Latest Critical Darling From Mamoru Hosoda In addition to the extended preview, we can also share two videos comparing the final shots of some of the film's dynamic action scenes to the original storyboard sketches they're based on. Hosoda both wrote and directed Scarlet, while his and Yuichiro Saito's Studio Chizu handled the gorgeous, fluid animation that blurs the line between 2D and 3D. This marks the fifth feature under the banner, following Hosoda's previous acclaimed efforts, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and the aforementioned Belle. Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada, and Kôji Yakusho lead the original Japanese cast as Scarlet, Hijiri, and Claudius, respectively, while Erin Yvette, Chris Hackney, and David Kaye star in the English dub. ​​​​​​Scarlet was lauded by critics for its animation, atmosphere, and ambitious spin on the story of Hamlet upon its premiere out of competition at Venice. Hosoda's latest was also nominated for three Annie Awards, including Best Feature — Independent and Best Directing and Writing in the feature category, though it ultimately lost out to Best Animated Feature nominees Arco and KPop Demon Hunters, respectively. Scarlet is now available for purchase on digital. Check out our exclusive extended preview in the player above. Scarlet Like Follow Followed PG-13 Animation Action Romance Fantasy Release Date February 6, 2026 Runtime 112 Minutes Director Mamoru Hosoda Cast See All Writers Mamoru Hosoda Producers Nozomu Takahashi, Yuichiro Saito, Toshimi Tanio Powered by Expand Collapse

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

Collider /  🏆 1. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Best Selling Adaptation Scores Big at the Box OfficeThe famed author gets her third box office hit in three years in a row.
Read more »

Cinderellas That Might’ve Been: 10 Great Mid-Major Teams That Flopped in the NCAA Men’s TournamentNot every Cinderella story gets the ending it deserves.
Read more »

Dark Winds gets to the work of investigating in a slightly padded outingThe show gets to the work of investigating in a slightly padded outing.
Read more »

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Baseball Wins Series Against Michigan State After Strong FinaleRutgers baseball closed out its series against Michigan State in commanding fashion, earning its first Big Ten series win of the season.
Read more »

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Lacrosse Finishes Non-Conference Play Strong with a WinRutgers men’s lacrosse showcased its offensive strength with a win over Bellarmine, wrapping up non-conference play with a 7-2 record.
Read more »

Chickenpox and scarlet fever circulating in Guernsey schoolsParents are being urged to look out for symptoms with cases circulating at schools in Guernsey.
Read more »