Studio Chizu was founded by Yūichirō Saitō and Mamoru Hosoda, both of which had ties to animation studio Madhouse. Saitō had been with Madhouse since 1999,[4] and had co-produced The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which Mamoru Hosoda directed. The aim of the studio was described by Saito as an "auteur's studio" for Hosoda,[5] who himself mentioned that creating Studio Chizu was necessary in order for him to make the films that he wanted to make.[6]
Studio Chizu co-produced its first feature film Wolf Children with Madhouse, which was released in 2012. It earned roughly $55 million[7] and won its first Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.[2] In 2013, the studio was approached by a representative of French film company Gaumont, who wanted to work with Studio Chizu to distribute its films internationally.[5] This distribution partnership was announced in 2014.[8]
Studio Chizu produced Hosoda's next film, Mirai, in 2018 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.[10][11] This film also won the studio its third Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in March 2019.[12][13] The next film Belle, written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, premiered on July 15, 2021 at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,[14] where it was well-received by critics with a standing ovation that lasted 14 minutes.[15] It was theatrically released in Japan on July 16, 2021.[16] It was theatrically released in the United States on January 14, 2022.[17][18]
