{"rewrite":{"id":"r_47dd799c102e7c23a0bbb5e3","clusterId":"c_3b1a6e0b9de8e2dd025c9355","slug":"studio-4-c-returns-to-chimney-town-with-a-hybrid-sequel","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Studio 4°C Returns to Chimney Town With a Hybrid Sequel","summary":"Director Yusuke Hirota returns for Chimney Town: Frozen In Time, a sequel to the 2020 CG feature Poupelle of Chimney Town. The film premiered at the Berlinale and will screen at Annecy. Hirota discussed the studio's hybrid 2D/3D approach, creature design drawn from protagonist Lubicchi's imagination, and influences including Level-5 games and stop-motion classics.","whyItMatters":"The sequel shows how Studio 4°C has refined its hybrid 2D/3D technique since its first all-CG feature six years ago.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDirector Yusuke Hirota returns to the world of Chimney Town with a sequel that builds on the hybrid 2D/3D approach Studio 4°C first used in the 2020 original. Chimney Town: Frozen In Time premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year and will screen at the Annecy Festival. Hirota told Cartoon Brew that author Akihiro Nishino proposed the sequel about a year after the first film\u0026#39;s release, and producer Eiko Tanaka brought him back to direct. The film sends protagonist Lubicchi into an imaginary otherworld called the Thousand-Year Fortress, searching for his lost friend Poupelle. Creature designs blend elements from real animals, plants, and inanimate objects, filtered through what Lubicchi has heard from rumors and books. Hirota cited Level-5\u0026#39;s Professor Layton games as an aesthetic reference for the film\u0026#39;s line-driven character models and hand-drawn backgrounds.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Studio 4°C hybrid approach for Frozen In Time blends 2D/3D, creature design from protagonist Lubicchi's imagination, and influences from Level-5 games and stop-motion.","twitterPost":"Studio 4°C blends 2D/3D, creature design from protagonist Lubicchi's imagination, and influences from Level-5 games and stop-motion.","threadsPost":"Studio 4°C hybrid approach for Frozen In Time blends 2D/3D, creature design from protagonist Lubicchi's imagination, and influences from Level-5 games and stop-motion.","newsletterBlurb":"Yusuke Hirota is back in the director's chair for Chimney Town: Frozen In Time, a sequel to Studio 4°C's 2020 CG feature. The film premiered at the Berlinale and will screen at Annecy. Hirota discussed the studio's hybrid animation technique and the imaginary world built from protagonist Lubicchi's imagination.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cartoon Brew\",\"url\":\"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/chimney-town-frozen-in-time-yusuke-hirota-interview-262780.html\",\"title\":\"'Chimney Town: Frozen In Time' Director Yusuke Hirota On Studio 4ºC's Hybrid Animation Approach\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4296,"outputTokens":638,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781278640,"createdAt":"2026-06-12T15:26:38.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-12T15:31:17.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-12T15:31:17.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_3b1a6e0b9de8e2dd025c9355","canonicalTitle":"‘Chimney Town: Frozen In Time’ Director Yusuke Hirota On Studio 4ºC’s Hybrid Animation Approach","representativeArticleId":"a_35ddf327ebd7c11df3d0e4a3","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Chimney Town: Frozen In Time\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Studio 4°C\"],\"people\":[\"Yusuke Hirota\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-12T14:48:58.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-12T14:48:58.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-12T15:31:17.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cartoon Brew","url":"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/chimney-town-frozen-in-time-yusuke-hirota-interview-262780.html","title":"‘Chimney Town: Frozen In Time’ Director Yusuke Hirota On Studio 4ºC’s Hybrid Animation Approach"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Chimney Town: Frozen In Time"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Studio 4°C"],"people":["Yusuke Hirota"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Chimney Town: Frozen In Time premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year and will screen at the Annecy Festival.","Director Yusuke Hirota returned for the sequel after producer Eiko Tanaka brought him back.","Author Akihiro Nishino proposed the sequel about a year after the 2020 original film's release.","The film sends protagonist Lubicchi into an imaginary otherworld called the Thousand-Year Fortress, searching for his lost friend Poupelle.","Hirota cited Level-5's Professor Layton games as an aesthetic reference for the film's line-driven character models and hand-drawn backgrounds."]}