Pui Pui Molcar

Alternate Title

PUI PUI モルカー

Synopsis

Set in a world in which guinea pigs have turned into cars, there live “molcars” - a portmanteau of the Japanese word for guinea pig (morumotto, from the word “marmot”) and “car.” They are fluffy and adorable with big round eyes, cute little tire feet, and big round butts. Each is full of personality and energy as they speed around town rescuing animals, taking part in high-speed chases, and more!

Background

Pui Pui Molcar is a stop-motion animation being directed by Tomoki Misato, who won the Grand Prix at the Paris International Fantastic Film Festival (PIFFF) and many other awards both in Japan and abroad for his film My Little Goat which was released in 2018 as his graduation project at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is one of the most notable puppet animation creators today. Director Misato has teamed up with Shin-Ei Animation (Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan) to create the anime. The “pui pui” in the title comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound that guinea pigs make. The anime also doesn’t contain any dialogue and the sounds used are from actual guinea pigs. The result is an anime that can be enjoyed by all audiences regardless of age or language. The characters are created using felt and button eyes to give them a soft, fluffy, and soothing look.

The anime premiered on Jan. 5, 2021 during the children’s variety show Kinder TV on TV Tokyo. Each episode is a short 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and the show has an omnibus format with a new protagonist each episode. Since it’s debut, the anime has become a buzzworthy topic on Twitter with discussions and fan art. Hakuna Kobayashi of Famitsu has cited the cuteness of the molcars along with the dynamic camera work and the ups and downs of the story as highlights of the show, and speculates that “its high level of perfection is what has made it popular.” The anime has also been praised by a variety of media outlets for making viewers think differently about the way they perceive things.

Characters

Potato
A laid-back molcar who sometimes ignores his driver’s commands. Potato is brave enough to take action when someone needs help, no matter the situation. He loves carrots.

Shiromo
One of the most timid of the molcars. Shiromo is often spoiled by her kind-hearted driver, but she tends to get into all sorts of trouble. She looks up to Teddy like an older sister. She loves lettuce.

Abby
A serious and curious molcar. Abby wears a beginner’s mark and dreams of one day graduating. She is highly prideful compared to the other molcars, and she isn’t good around cats.

Choco
Choco has a refreshing and gentle personality, but contrary to that she is also strong and physically capable. She is tidy and pays attention to fashion. Her dream is to one day become the No. 1 luxury molcar.

Teddy
Teddy eats anything and everything and is always on the move. She is tomboyish and fearless as well as a troublemaker whose absurd behavior makes her feared by those around her.

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Plan: Tomoki Misato, Shin-Ei Animation, Japan Green Hearts
• Director/Scriptwriter: Tomoki Misato
• Art: Ikuko Iwatsuki, Michiko Kaihatsu, Kei Sato, Kanon Sato, Tomoki Misato, Reina Muramatsu, Atelier KOCKA
• Music: Shota Kowashi
• Sound: Akira Noguchi
• Producer: Ikumi Hayashi, Hiromi Morishige, Yoji Nakai
• Executive Producer: Noboru Sugiyama, Kenji Hamada
• Animation Production: Shin-Ei Animation x Japan Green Heart