Lupin the Third: Pilot Film

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film (1969)

ルパン三世 パイロットフィルム

The first animated adaptation of the popular manga series, this pilot introduces the main characters of "Lupin the Third" with montages, presented through a short frame narrative illustrating a typical gang escape.

Date of release
1969-11-10
TMDB
6.7 / 10 (32)
Runtime
12m
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Animation
Director
Masaaki Osumi

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: Lupin III

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film 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.

Production

Adapting Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga into animation was first suggested by animator Gisaburō Sugii to Yutaka Fujioka, the founder of Tokyo Movie (now TMS Entertainment). Although Fujioka was interested in the idea, Tokyo Movie lacked the financial resources to produce such a project on its own.

Although the animation quality of the Pilot Film was high for the time in which it was made, few financial backers were interested in the project due to its adult themes of violence and sexuality. With the project still unsold over a year later, the Pilot Film was adapted for television.

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