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Poupelle of Chimney Town Anime Film Adds HYDE's 'Halloween Party' as Opening Song

The official website for Studio 4°C's anime film of Akihiro Nishino's Poupelle of Chimney Town (Entotsu-chō no Poupelle) picture book revealed on Wednesday that a new version of L'Arc-en-Ciel frontman HYDE's "Halloween Party" song will be the film's opening theme song.

The song is HYDE's official theme song for his annual Halloween costume party event. The new version for the film, titled "Hallowen Party -Poupelle ver.-," will have a new children's chorus part, and will feature in the film's opening scene as a dance number by choreographer akane. TOHO is streaming a video showing the motion capture recording for the scene.

The film will open this December.

Nishino was previously listed as the film's director, but Yusuke Hirota (CGI director for Berserk films, Harmony) is now listed as the director. Nishino is still serving as production supervisor, original creator, and writer, while Atsuko Fukushima (Genius Party, Robot Carnival) is designing the characters. Aeon Entertainment and planning, production, and marketing company Yoshimoto Kōgyō Co., Ltd. is producing the film. TOHO and Yoshimoto Kōgyō Co., Ltd. are distributing the film.

The film will feature new elements and characters that did not appear in the original picture book. Nishino said that because of this, people who have read the book, and people who have not, will both still enjoy the film.

The story is set in a town surrounded by a wall that stands 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) tall. Because the town is full of chimneys, the air is always full of smoke. No one in the town knows what the sky looks like. On the night of the town's Halloween festival, a deliveryman accidentally drops the heart he is supposed to deliver. He cannot find the heart in the smoke and gives up. The heart continues to beat where it fell in the town of chimneys.

The picture book's illustrations are available with English text on Nishino's official Line Blog. Gentosha published the picture book in Japan in October 2016 and has sold over 420,000 copies so far. A total of 33 illustrators and creators worked on the print book with Nishino after a successful crowdfunding effort.

Nishino is one half of the comedy duo King Kong. He decided to begin drawing as a way to convey his stories after a conversation with fellow comedian and television personality Tamori about ten years ago. Nishino published his first picture book, Dr. Ink no Hoshizora Kinema (Dr. Ink's Starry Sky Cinema), in 2009, and he has since published a total of five books.

Nishino starred in the live-action television series of Shuntarō Ōsawa's Gota Keshi: Jidan Kōshōnin Shirai Torajirō manga in 2011. He also voiced Freddy in the Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew anime film in 2005.

Sources: Poupelle of Chimney Town anime film's website, Eiga Natalie via Otakomu