{"id":2656,"date":"2026-06-22T06:05:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T06:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2656"},"modified":"2026-06-22T06:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T06:05:58","slug":"chimney-town-frozen-in-time-sells-wide-across-europe-ahead-of-annecy-french-premiere-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2656","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Chimney Town: Frozen in Time\u2019 Sells Wide Across Europe Ahead of Annecy French Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tBrussels-based sales company Best Friend Forever has closed a string of distribution deals on Japanese animated feature\u00a0\u201cChimney Town: Frozen in Time,\u201d with French distributor Arthouse Films acquiring rights for France, HBO Max taking Eastern European rights and Serbian MegaCom Film picking up Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia.<\/p>\n

Read more Webtoon Productions, France\u2019s OuiDo! Set Animation Series Adaptation of Webtoon Smash \u2018Lumine\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe sales announcement comes ahead of the film\u2019s screening in the Annecy Presents section of the Annecy Animation Film Festival, following its world premiere in the Generation Kplus strand of the Berlinale earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tDirected by Yusuke Hirota and produced by Studio4\u00b0C,\u00a0\u201cChimney Town: Frozen in Time\u201d\u00a0brings the audience back to the rich settings of 2020 animated feature\u00a0\u201cPoupelle of Chimney Town,\u201d based on the work of Japanese creator Akihiro Nishino.<\/p>\n

\n\tSet one year after the events of the original film, the story follows Lubicchi as he ventures into the mysterious Millennium Fortress, a realm where time has stopped and a giant clock has remained frozen at 11:59 for a century. Determined to uncover the truth behind the phenomenon and reunite with his lost friend Poupelle, he embarks on a fantastical adventure exploring courage, friendship and the power of belief.<\/p>\n

\n\tHirota, who directed both films, shared his excitement of going back to this world with Variety<\/em> during the Berlinale. \u201cBeing able to explore this universe beyond Chimney Town, which was the setting of the first film, is a real pleasure to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThe world of the Millenium Fortress, in which Lubicchi navigates, reflects the inner world of the witch character. The town, the buildings, everything relates to this idea, and that\u2019s what interested me about this new story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tExpanding on the character designs, Hirota underlined the quirky looks and the singularity of his artistic direction, directly inspired by child\u2019s play and faulty craft. \u201cOn the other hand, the cat that accompanies Lubicchi is very fluffy, an almost watery body that can shapeshift in awkward ways. And I think we managed to achieve this. Lubicchi remains innocent, a very traditional Japanese comedy figure, while encountering strange yet relatable characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trafalgar Releasing Launches Korean Entity, Names Hybe Veteran as Asia Acquisitions Head (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tProduction-wise, \u201cChimney Town\u201d followed the same workflow that led \u201cPoupelle\u201d to come to life, albeit with more experience from both Hirota and his team. \u201cI had been working with Studio4\u00b0C for a long time when we launched \u2018Poupelle\u2019 \u2014 20 years to be precise. For me, it was always about finding the good balance between CG and more classical analog animation. This time, we used both 3D and 2D animation, and I wanted to dive deeper into the actual directing process of this animated feature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCompared to \u201cPoupelle,\u201d \u201cChimney Town\u201d is more colorful, more diverse in terms of backgrounds. A playground for Hirota, who wanted to bring more warmth to this fantasy world. Animators and rigging artists also went beyond themselves to add feelings to the characters, bringing \u201cChimney Town\u201d to emotional heights more than once. <\/p>\n

\n\tWith music composed by acclaimed Japanese piano player Harumi Fuki, \u201cChimney Town\u201d is a very unique proposition in this year\u2019s Annecy selection, packed with proposals from all over Asia. \u201cIt\u2019s a family-friendly film, but to me it also had a slightly more dramatic scale,\u201d concluded Hirota. \u201cBlending this story, Harumi Fuki\u2019s music and the team\u2019s impressive art was an impressive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing its Berlinale world premiere, Best Friend Forever kicked off sales on the film and has ongoing negotiations across additional territories.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond \u201cChimney Town,\u201d Best Friend Forever also brings French quirky cut-out feature \u201cBlaise\u201d to the Annecy Contrechamp selection after premiering the film as part of the Cannes ACID selection.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Minions & Monsters\u2019 Review: The Canary-Colored Critters\u2019 Latest Starring Vehicle Goes Back to Early Hollywood, and Hits a Creative High<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belgian Sales Agent Best Friend Forever secured distribution in France, Variety learned, along with key deals across Eastern Europe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2048,2264,2265],"class_list":["post-2656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-annecy-animation-film-festival","tag-berlin-film-festival","tag-best-friend-forever"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Chimney Town: Frozen in Time\u2019 Sells Wide Across Europe Ahead of Annecy French Premiere (EXCLUSIVE) - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2656\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Chimney Town: Frozen in Time\u2019 Sells Wide Across Europe Ahead of Annecy French Premiere (EXCLUSIVE) - 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