If 80s Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton made anime, it would be this.
What They Say:
Poupelle of Chimney Town is the story of young Lubicchi living among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town, yearning to see the “stars” — to know the truth — his father always told him about.
One Halloween night he meets Poupelle, a man made of garbage, and together they look to the sky as their adventure begins. Spectacularly beautiful, filled with inspiring performances and splendid music and sound effects, and produced at Tokyo’s famed STUDIO4ºC, Poupelle of Chimney Town brings laughter, tears and joy.
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release brings us the original Japanese language in 5.1 as well as the English dub, both of which are presented using the DTS-HD MA lossless codec. The film is one that certainly works more dialogue than anything else but it has some big action-adventure scenes that deliver really enjoyable experiences and directionality. The action moves well across the forward soundstage with some really good placement here and there as well as depth during the chases and movement around the city with all the layers to it. Dialogue is well-handled along the way too as it moves about as needed and feels distinct when multiple characters are on-screen at the same time. The film delivers a pretty rich sound as needed that shows the passion of those behind the design in bringing the aerial aspects to life. Everything comes across clean and clear throughout and we didn’t have any issues with dropouts or distortions during regular playback.
Video:
Originally in theaters in 2020, the transfer for this film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p using the AVC codec. Animated by Studio 4°C, the project is one that definitely works well with the CG style that this studio often uses and has grown and tweaked over the past twenty years or so and there’s a lot to like here. It’s able to utilize this to bring the city and the characters to life with all of its strangeness and distinctive elements, especially with our leading character in particular. There’s a good flow to a lot of things here and the fact that it works the movement throughout the city as well as it does really helps to elevate it. While there are a few moments where it almost feels like a platforming sidescroller, that’s done just to highlight the city and its design and is then shown from a lot of other angles. The movements are smooth, the designs look good, the color palette is strong and the encoding captures it all well. Everything is solid throughout and the fine detail holds up very well with no noticeable problems visible.
Packaging:
The packaging for this release comes in a standard-sized Blu-ray case that holds the two discs without hinges. The front cover uses the family key visual and poster design that gives us the really neat piece where our two leads are together looking out over the city, which is filled with great color and detail to draw you in and really get you to look at all aspects of it. The logo along the top is done as well as can be, because it does just sound like a weird title in its own way, but it’s the kind of thing that also captures the imagination like it should since it’s from a picture book aimed at kids. With the back cover, we get a good scene from the film along the top where it highlights some of the relationship aspects of the film. The summary of the premise is covered well and we get a breakdown of what extras are included. The remainder has the usual production credits to check out and the technical grid, all of which is clear and easy to read overall even with the white on brown for part of it. The set comes with a really nice if short booklet with a bit about the project and a message within while the reverse side of the cover does a really nice two-panel spread of Chimney Town.
Menu:
The menu design for this release is pretty basic and functional here but it works well to set the tone and goes just a step further than a static image, which I definitely appreciate. It utilizes the section of the cover with our two leads close together and the city behind them, but it provides for some motion with steam floating through from a couple of points to add to the atmosphere of it all. And it works well with the brief bit of instrumental music from the film to help give it a kind of upbeat but almost classic film feeling that works well. The navigation along the bottom is pretty standard and everything makes for quick and easy loading times in general and smooth access since it’s really just a basic setup.
Extras:
The release comes with three extras (though no trailers sadly) with the first being the world of Chimney Town. This comes in at just under 50 minutes and provides time with the director and the writer talking about the project from all directions and a bit about how COVID impacted a lot of aspects of it, making for a memorable project in general. We also get a piece with the writer that comes in at 21 minutes and just deals with him directly in talking about the future of this property and his experience with it. Lastly, there’s a piece from the Malibu Film Society screening of the film that comes in at ten minutes with Nishiro that works really well in some questions coming from American audiences.
Poupelle of Chimney Town is the most recent project from Studio 4C and it’s one that definitely saw its delays due to the pandemic like many movies did. The property is based on the picture book by Akihiro Nishino and they not only served as an executive producer but wrote the screenplay adaptation here with Yusuke Hirota directing it. I’ve enjoyed a lot of the works from this studio because the progression of CG with anime has been fascinating to watch over the years. While I’m still not 100% on board with it as replacing anime in the traditional sense, we get more variety with these projects and each one helps to further that whole style and gives animators a lot of new tools. This film is one that while I know could be done more traditionally in the anime style and done well, is also one that will succeed better here in this form because of the CG style.
The premise is one where we’re introduced to the obviously named Chimney Town, a sprawling city that has for reasons been cut off from the rest of the world. Everything is obscured and there are legends that come up from time to time about seeing the world outside. The city is functional but it has a grim element to it. But even within this we see a lot of love and laughter, initially through a group of kids that are playing their version of Halloween and having a lot of fun with it, including a dance number. Into this falls Poupelle, a “man-made garbage” creature in humanoid form that thinks he’s found others like him based on the costumes the kids are wearing. Fast friends don’t last long, however, as once they take of their costumes they realize his isn’t a costume and the panic sets in, causing Poupelle to flee from them only to end up in a worse situation, one that’s going to get him tossed into the incinerator.
It’s from here that we’re introduced to Lubicchi, a young boy who works in the chimneys and sees what’s about to happen to Poupelle. That has him creatively trying to save him and the two have a seriously crazy adventure that feels like that aforementioned mix of Burton and Spielberg from their younger and more adventurous days. While Lubicchi is a bit surprised by the truth behind Poupelle when they finally do get some downtime from that adventure, he does end up befriending him and kind of helping him keep his secret for a bit, helping him to get some work and find his place in Chimney Town. And this is kind of what’s at the core of it. Yes, there are bigger adventures ahead for the pair and others within the film, which is really well-paced and timed so that it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but at its core, it’s about friendship between very different people and the commonalities that they have.
It is very much what you’d expect with it being based on a children’s picture book and there’s nothing wrong with that. It has the right kind of maturity to it and it can be that important internal reset adults need sometimes to find inspiration in things and to take a renewed look at almost anything. Poupelle is certainly interesting enough and watching him trying to find his place in everything is a lot of fun. But it’s very easy to be drawn into Lubicchi’s story as he’s trying to be the adult in his family after events with his father have created this hole. Working the chimneys at such a young age and trying to hide as much of it as possible is a familiar thing in works like this but it’s really well done. Especially after, for me personally, seeing a spate of works with kids who aren’t facing much in the way of hardships but rather just on voyages of discovery. Lubicchi gets that here but there’s a harder edge to him, even at this young age, which gives it a very different feeling. You don’t want that for kids, just to be clear, but I really enjoyed seeing him find that lightness and sense of freedom with Poupelle at times that was missing in his life after being so serious.
And depending on your place in life, you’ll take different things from it as well. The relationship we see between Lubicchi and his father Bruno is really engaging to watch, especially if you’ve had kids yourself or if you’ve lost a parent, as there are things to draw from there. It’s a film that doesn’t linger in the sadness but rather works in a kind of level of acceptance that a thing has happened and that one must move forward. And that even still it’s important to believe in things, to chase after the dreams you have, and to not be ashamed about it. It’s a hugely inspirational film in a lot of ways but it’s also a work that really makes you appreciate the true friendships you have, the ones you know have lasted for a long time and have a deep meaning that few can understand.
In Summary:
Poupelle of Chimney Town is very easy to be drawn into. The first twenty-five minutes of it are just so engaging that it goes by so fast with all that it accomplishes. It’s the kind of work where you want a lot more adventures between these characters before things get into the more serious third act that brings things to a head, just to spend more time with them and touch that lightness that they bring to the screen. While traditional anime is where my true love is, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the growth of the 3DCG style in Japan over the years as they’ve been charting their own course, especially Studio 4C. I really like what they bring to the screen here and while you can always say there’s more that they should have done in some form here, I think they did a beautiful job in bringing this picture book for children to life and making it a true all-ages work that you could sit with everyone and watch and all enjoy. It’s a strong release with some good extras and a really solid package all around. Very recommended.
Features:
Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 Language, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 English Subtitles, World of Chimney Town, What’s Next, Creator Q&A
Content Grade: A-
Audio Grade: A
Video Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: A
Released By: Eleven Arts / Shout! Factory
Release Date: May 31st, 202
MSRP: $26.98
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
