Sequel for CGI Pui Pui Molcar anime film officially announced

Modified Nov 29, 2024 20:00 GMT

Sequel for CGI Pui Pui Molcar anime film officially announced (Image via TV Tokyo, Shin-Ei Animation))

Friday, November 29, 2024 saw a sequel to the new, CGI animated Pui Pui Molcar anime film officially announced via the movie’s official website and various social media accounts. The sequel is to the Pui Pui Molcar the Movie: MOLMAX film, which is currently screening in Japanese theaters after opening on Friday, November 28.

The latest Pui Pui Molcar anime film is notable for being the first in the franchise to have 3D CGI animation styles, with the previous franchise entries being made with stop-motion animation. No other information on the sequel is currently available beyond confirmation of its production, but fans can expect this info relatively soon based on how quickly the sequel is being announced.

Pui Pui Molcar anime film confirms sequel on first day screening in Japanese theaters

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As mentioned above, the current Pui Pui Molcar anime film only began screening in Japanese theaters earlier today, yet has already been announced for a sequel. Likewise, fans can expect some sort of additional news on the sequel to come soon given how quick this announcement was made. As of this article’s writing, the only currently available promotional material is a graphic shared in an X (formerly Twitter) post from the franchise’s official account.

The latest film for the franchise was directed by Mankyu, with the original television stop–motion series director Tomoki Misato credited as the film’s chief supervisor. Yuuko Kakihara wrote the script for the film. It’s unknown as of this article’s writing whether or not any of the three will return for the sequel. This will likely depend on the financial and critical success of the latest film, but is also a decision which may have already been made behind closed doors.

The original stop-motion television series premiered in January 2021 within TV Tokyo’s Kinder TV children’s variety series. The series focuses on guinea pigs who have become cars, with the titular “Molcar” combining “car” and “morumotto,” the Japanese word for “guinea pig” and a variation of the English word “marmot.” Netflix has streamed this original television series worldwide (excluding some Asian territories) since March 2021. The series also has a video game.

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While the current Pui Pui Molcar anime film is the latest franchise movie and confirmed not to be its last, it’s also not the first. The current film is preceded by the Tobidase! Narase! Pui Pui Molcar compilation movie of the original television series. The film opened in Japanese theaters in July 2021. Like the original television series, the film used stop-motion animated puppets made of wool felt for its production.

The original television series was Misato’s directorial debut on any animated television series, having also written the script and worked on the storyboards with Hana Ono and Kei Sato. Animators on the series included Misato, Sato, Ikuko Iwatsuki, and Makoto Takano. The artists included Misato, Sato, Iwatsuki, Harune Sato, and Michiko Kaihatsu. Shota Kowashi composed the music.