There are days when a storm system settles over the top of my city. Moisture gets pumped up from the Gulf of Mexico with no other storm fronts on the horizon. We’re stuck with overcast skies for a week. It gets rather uncomfortable to not see the sun or the stars from your front step. There’s a bit of shock when weather pattern changes and the clouds vanish. We can see the sky. We question the existence of the giant ball of fire in the sky for a few minutes or become dazzled by the twinkling stars. Poupelle of Chimney Town is an animated feature film from Japan that features a city where people no longer see the sky. The metropolis of Chimney Town’s major industry and export is smoke from the millions of chimneys. The film is about a kid who wants to believe there’s something beyond the pollution.
A bunch of kids are out trick or treating when they’re joined by someone dressed up as a mechanical man that’s augmented with odd pieces of garbage. As they admire their sugary loot, the kids quickly notice that their new pal isn’t wearing an amazing costume. He appears to be a creature made of garbage which frightens everyone. He gets chased around the nasty industrial town until he finds a safe spot in the back of a truck. The truck was safe until it turned out to be heading to the town’s incinerator. His only hope at rescue turns out to be a little kid Lubicchi (Mana Ashida/Antonio Raul Corbo) that’s learning how to be a chimney sweep. That does seem to be a major occupation in Chimney Town. After rescuing the strange stranger, Lubicchi names his new friend Poupelle (Mastaka Kubota/ Veep‘s Tony Hale). The two get along well. Lubicchi tells him about his father who swore there was a sky beyond the nasty smoke that collected above their world. Turns out the man of garbage wants to help Lubicchi see the things his father described. Everyone swears they’re nuts, but they’re arguing with an animated man made of garbage so he might be onto something.
Poupelle of Chimney Town is visually a treat as it mixes bright colors with dreary environment. This is Yusuke Hirota’s first time directing an animated feature film. His background includes visual effects for live action films including Shin Godzilla and Assassination Classroom: The Graduation. There is a live action feel when things get wild on the screen. The film’s mix of fantasy, science fiction and environmental apocalypse keeps the story moving. There is a creative explanation for how things became such a disaster for Chimney Town. At the core, there is a wonderful bond between Poupelle and Lubicchi and child’s memories of his father that makes the story feel full and healthy. Poupelle of Chimney Town will make you want to burn less stuff.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the details in the artwork. The audio has the soundtrack in both Japanese and English for the 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Dolby Digital Stereo transfers. The movie is subtitled in English.
The World of Chimney Town (47:24) has Director Yusuke Hirota and Creator Akihiro Nishino sit down at the office to talk about the creation of the film. It’s a fun chat about the challenges of making the feature film happen. They get deep into Hirota’s communication with his crew and how COVID complicated the process. There’s talk of Zoom meetings.
What’s Next For Chimney Town (21:05) has Creator Akihiro Nishino discuss the future of his project. He does go deep into elements of the film and how this would reflect in a sequel.
Creator Akihiro Nishino Special Q&A (10:08) at the Malibu Film Society Screening. He explains how he originally wrote the script and then adapted the middle segments into a children’s book. When Yusuke Hirota read the kids book, he was thrilled to know there was already a completed script. Nishino also wrote the songs for the film.
Shout! Factory and Eleven Films present Poupelle of Chimney Town. Directed by Yusuke Hirota. Screenplay by Akihiro Nishino. Starring: Masataka Kubota, Mana Ashida, Shingo Fujimori, Rina Honizumi, Tony Hale, Antonio Raul Corbo, Stephen Root, Misty Lee and Hasan Minhaj. Running Time: 100 minutes, Rating: Rated PG. Release Date: May 31, 2022.
