Cafe Group has announced a new AI-generated short film titled "Chimney Town," inspired by Akihiro Nishino's popular Poupelle of Chimney Town picture book. The short, running between 195 and 210 seconds, is described as "live-action" and is being co-produced with AI tool brand KamikAI by Ikhor, which is also providing its WonderCanvas AI tool for production. Nishino himself is credited as a producer on the project.
The "Chimney Town" short is set to debut at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026 awards ceremony on June 10. Akihiro Nishino also indicated plans to screen the short film alongside the anime movie CHIMNEY TOWN: Frozen in Time at the Tokyo International Forum on June 28.
CHIMNEY TOWN: Frozen in Time, the sequel to Studio 4°C's 2020 CGI film adaptation of Poupelle of Chimney Town, was released in Japan on March 27. Based on Nishino's 2019 picture book Tick-Tock Yakusoku no Tokeidai, the film earned over 122 million yen in its opening three days. It is also scheduled to screen in the non-competitive "Annecy Presents" section at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The original Poupelle of Chimney Town film, produced by Studio 4°C, garnered significant attention, even earning a nomination for Best Animation of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize. The franchise continues to expand, exploring new creative avenues like this AI-driven short. Source: Anime News Network(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-06-01/poupelle-of-chimney-town-picture-book-gets-live-action-ai-short-film/.238004)
