Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Movie Review

Poupelle of Chimney Town is a charming fantasy-adventure with plenty of unexpected heart for audiences of all ages. Created by Akihiro Nishino, Poupelle of Chimney Town is a must-see gem of animation. Distributed by Shout! Factory, Poupelle of Chimney Town features animation produced by Studio 4°C (Children of the Sea, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko).

Executive produced by Akihiro Nishino, Poupelle of Chimney Town was distributed in Japan by TOHO and Yoshimoto Kogyo. Produced by Eiko Tanaka (Children of the Sea, The Animatrix) and Ryoichi Fukuyama (Spirited Away, The Wind Rises), Poupelle of Chimney Town is a must-see animated film with an outstanding sense of style. Audiences will be mesmerized and charmed to the end.

Lubicchi (Mana Ashida) might seem like an ordinary boy but he is a lad with a high spirit for adventure. Lubicchi is joined by a man made entirely of garbage, Poupelle (Masataka Kubota). Poupelle is a nice character with a unique approach to life.

Though some might look down on Poupelle for his offbeat appearance, Poupelle decides to live his life to its fullest. Lubicchi remains full of wonder alongside Poupelle and a journey to see the stars unfolds. Lubicchi’s father always told him amazing stories about the magic of stars. Can the journey bring them home?

The filmmaking does a great job of highlighting the characters and their compelling personalities. The childlike wonder of Poupelle is something that adds a lot of charm to the adventure. Made of garbage, Poupelle might not seem like much on the surface, but Poupelle is more than meets- the-eye. There is something special about Poupelle. Lubicchi goes on a wonderful adventure and brings the film some genuine heart. The character is just a young child and his sense of wonder and thirst for imagination gives a lot of beauty to the story.

The character designs by Atsuko Fukushima (Robot Carnival, Genius Party) are a highlight of Poupelle of Chimney Town. The designs are excellent and there is a lot to appreciate about the level of detail in the art. The designs certainly help to enhance the filmmaking in a magical way. The artistry of the characters is one of the most charming things about the film.

The animation in Poupelle of Chimney Town is breathtaking. The artistry is phenomenal and this is a good enough reason to experience the film. The animation is by art director Kenichiro Akimoto and animation director Yuta Sano. The team of animators involved on Poupelle of Chimney Town helped bring together something magical. The animation is certainly impressive in spades and there is much worth appreciating about the designs in the film. The layout animation for the cityscape is something compelling to explore. The visual wonderment of the designs is ambitious and more epic in scale than one might expect. The use of color in the animation is also spectacular and the vivid colors brings the storytelling home.

Edited by Kiyoshi Hirose (INU-OH, Ride Your Wave), Poupelle of Chimney Town is a well-paced film and the editing contributes a lot to the sense of cohesion in the film. The editor did a good job and helped the pacing to work all the better. The contributions of Hirose add to the experience and the result is something far more engaging from scene to scene.

The score composed by Youki Kojima and Yuta Bando (BELLE) is a highlight of Poupelle of Chimney Town. The music is essential to the filmmaking. The score is engaging and fun. The music provides a sense of the fantastical. The score highlights the dream-like quality of the story and the adventure at the core. Having a composer as talented as Bando involved was especially important to the production.

Written by Akihiro Nishino, Poupelle of Chimney Town is a creative journey. The film has a solid script and the story is engaging. The tale is simplistic in some respects but it is charming and full of heart. A spirited tale and one that has plenty of quiet charms – much of this is found in the screenplay for the film. A good effort by Nishino.

Yusuke Hirota brings Poupelle of Chimney Town to life. The director of Poupelle of Chimney Town, Hirota handles his feature-directing debut with splendor. The direction is excellent and the film has a charming sense of adventure. The heartfelt filmmaking is wonderful and it aids the entire experience. Hirota does great work with the animators and with bringing a unique visual flair to the film. Poupelle of Chimney Town is well worth discovery.

Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Shout Factory, Poupelle of Chimney Town is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is exceptional. The video quality looks wonderful on the release and the image quality is crisp, clear, and engaging. The transfer is first-rate and the animation is well preserved on the release. Outstanding. The detail in the line art and background animation is stunning.

The encoding from Shout was admirable. Outside of some brief banding (most will not notice), the transfer is first-rate. A quality presentation. Though the presentation may have been improved somewhat from a 4K UHD encode in 2160p, the 1080p image is no slouch and viewers will find the presentation to be satisfactory on the whole. It is just nice to imagine what the release might have looked like in 4K UHD with a nice HDR grade.

Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality sounds exceptionally crisp and clear on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced.

The score sounds impressively detailed and the music is well implemented in to the surround sound soundstage. Featuring quality sound direction by Koji Kasamatsu, Poupelle of Chimney Town has an excellent audio presentation. The Blu-ray capably preserves the detail in the audio track and this is something well worth appreciating. A good encode from Shout Factory.

Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a 6-page booklet. The release is a Blu-ray + DVD combo pack edition. The first print run included a o-card slipcover. On disc extras include:

The World of Chimney Town – A Discussion with Director Yusuke Hirota and Creator Akihiro Nishino (HD, 47: 24) is presented in Japanese (with optional English subtitles). Audiences wanting to gain insights from both the creator and the director of the feature-film may wish to explore this in-depth video discussion. With both the creator and director involved, a lot of insights can be gained.

What's Next for Chimney Town – An Exclusive Interview with Creator Akihiro Nishino (HD, 21:05) is presented in Japanese (with optional English subtitles). It is nice to see exclusive interviews being provided by Shout Factory. This is the kind of thing that helps to set apart some releases and that ultimately makes the physical media experience more rewarding for some collectors.

Creator Akihiro Nishino Special Q&A – Malibu Film Society Screening (HD, 10:08) is presented in Japanese (with optional English subtitles). Compared to the other interviews on the disc, this is somewhat short by comparison but one can still gain some additional insights from Nishino.

Poupelle of Chimney Town Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Poupelle of Chimney Town is an exciting animated feature-film with a sense of wonder throughout the journey. The tale is charming and heartfelt and the characters are an essential part of the experience. The filmmaking is engaging and ambitious – the animation being outstanding and making a huge impression. Director Yusuke Hirota made a fantastic theatrical debut with this entertaining film.

The Blu-ray release features excellent video and audio and includes a nice selection of bonus features. The release comes with multiple interviews. The first print run also includes an o-card slip. Fans of Poupelle of Chimney Town will want to add the release to their collection. The film is great for audiences of all ages and it is easy to see some families sharing the experience of viewing Poupelle of Chimney Town. Highly recommended.