Poupelle of Chimney Town

Poupelle of Chimney Town was originally a picture book by Akihiro Nishino. Nishino also wrote the screenplay for the film and was an executive producer. The animated film was animated by Studio 4°C. Yusuke Hirota was the director, and characters were designed by Atsuko Fukushima. Fukushima also worked on such famous works as Akira and Kiki's Delivery Service.

The Story

The story begins on Halloween night. A star falls into a city dump, and a garbage man is born. He is able to enter the city because everyone assumes that he is only wearing a costume. When his true nature is revealed, everyone runs away in fear.

It becomes quickly clear that the city government is repressive, and the citizens are afraid to speak out against them. They are also afraid of the mention of stars or anything existing beyond the smoke that embraces their city. It spews forth from all of the chimneys, hence the nickname Chimney Town.

The smoke is also making people sick, like main character Lubicchi's mother. Lubicchi stopped playing with the other children and became a chimney sweep after the disappearance of his father so that he could take care of his mother.

The Animation Style

The animation in Poupelle strongly reminded me of the video game Final Fantasy IX. The world reminded me of the video game Stray, which is about a cat exploring a world of robots. Like Chimney Town, the robot inhabitants of Stray cannot see the sky and wish to reach mythical outside world.

Despite the ever-present smoke, the world of Poupelle is vibrantly colored. The aesthetic is both traditionally Japanese and European, and the technology is a mixture of old and new. This lends a steampunk feel that fans of that genre should enjoy.

In 2021, Poupelle won Excellent Animation of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize.

The Soundtrack

I was beyond excited when I recognized the familiar voice of Hyde, originally from the Japanese rock band L'arc-en-Ciel, in the opening theme Halloween Party. This is actually a remix of the song that includes a children's chorus.

The official music video for Halloween Party - Poupelle Version more or less recreates the scene in the animation. The dancing and costumes are fantastic.

The rest of the soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the animation and enjoyable to listen to on its own. The ending theme that plays during the credits is quite catchy! There are both Japanese and English versions of the song.

The Musical

At the same time the film was in production, a stage musical was also in the works. It premiered live online in September of 2020. The movie came out in Japan on December 25th of 2020 and was released in the United States a year later.

The entire musical is available to watch on YouTube (see below). The dialogue and songs are in Japanese, but there are clear English subtitles to follow along. There are also a few videos available on YouTube of some of the songs in English that the New York performers recorded from home during the Pandemic while New York City was under quarantine.

Further Reading:

• 5 Kids Halloween Movies from the 80s That Still Rock (And One Honorable Mention)
• Halloween Books for Kids: From Fun to Spooky to Frightening
• 5 Popular Halloween Symbols: And Where They Came From
• 50 Songs to Add to Your Halloween Playlist: Tunes to Get You in the
• Le Griffon: a ghost story

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