Stellar First Trailer For Mamoru Hosoda's SUMMER WARS!

A couple summers back first time feature director Mamoru Hosoda and writer Satoko Okudera took what, at the outset, seemed to be the most foolish of paths, releasing Hosoda’s debut film head to head in Japanese theaters against A Wizard of Earthsea, the brand new (at the time) feature from animation titan Studio Ghibli, directed by the son of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. If ever there was a recipe for having your debut film crushed and ignored, this was it. Hosoda had a smaller budget, less publicity and worlds less recognition and so chances were good that his picture would simply disappear without leaving any trace behind.

But here’s the thing. Hosoda went out and beat the Ghibli giants at their own game. While Earthsea relied a little too much of flash and dazzle, Hosoda simply set out to tell a story and tell it well and audiences and critics agreed that his film was the better of the two. This particular David ended up triumphing over this particular Goliath and Hosoda’s little film, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time went on to become one of that year’s big surprise hits and has played to great - and very deserved - acclaim all around the world.

And now on to the point. Hosoda is back and he’s bringing writer Satoko Okudera with him. Working once again at Japan’s Madhouse Animation - once again proving to be a major hotbed of talent - Hosoda and Okudera are hard at work on Summer Wars, Hosoda and Okudera are no longer the little guys here, and the anticipation for this film is running as high as it would for - to stay in the Madhouse world - a new Satoshi Kon and, perhaps to help manage expectations, the duo are keeping plot details to a minimum. All that we really know is that the film follows a teenage girl and her family as they are sent off on a fantastical adventure at the behest of an elderly woman.

But while details are in short supply, footage no longer is with the release of the film's first trailer. This looks to be fantastic stuff, very distinctly Hosoda with perhaps a bit more buff and polish thanks to the increased profile. The fantasy elements are quite pronounced when they come but otherwise this looks very much as though it could be a companion piece to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and that is a good thing, indeed. Check it out below the break!