Underplayed Gems

Lupin III - Pilot Film (1969)

Lupin III - Pilot Film poster
Original title
ルパン三世 パイロットフィルム
Directed by
Masaaki Ōsumi
Genre
adventure, comedy, crime, animation
Country
Japan
Runtime
13 min
Rating
6.7 of 10 from 29 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like this

How it feels

This is an early proof-of-concept short for an anime series about the gentleman thief Lupin the Third. It shows Lupin and his crew pulling off a heist with car chases and slapstick comedy.

playfulenergeticstylishretrofast-pacedwhimsicalanarchicadventurous

What happens

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film (Japanese: ルパン三世〈PILOT FILM〉, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei (Pairotto Firumu)) is a Japanese adult animated short film directed by Masaaki Ōsumi, which was created around 1969. It is the first animated adaptation of the Lupin III manga series, created by Monkey Punch in 1967. The 12-minute film was created by Tokyo Movie and intended to generate interest and secure funding for a larger production. Around 1971 it was reworked as a television pilot with new voice actors and the series was picked up by Yomiuri Television, leading to Lupin the Third Part I. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.