The story involves a boy and his younger sister whose dog Papadoll is missing. They find out that he has been abducted by anthropomorphic cats to be brought to a world called Banapal Witt, which is built on top of a giant sleeping cat. There the sun turns poor Papadoll into a bizarre giant monster. He becomes the weapon and beloved pet of a spoiled Princess who turns everything she touches into balloons. She plans to use Papadoll and a giant inflatable mouse to control the sleeping cat and thus Banapal Witt itself.
Direction
Nakamura's unhinged visual logic from Akira's opening sequence, stretched to feature length.
Sound
Bizarre sound design that makes balloon transformations viscerally unsettling.
Director
Takashi Nakamura
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nakamura directed the legendary 'Daicon IV' opening and brought that same unchecked visual maximalism here, making this a missing link between otaku culture and high-art animation.
The film bombed so hard it basically ended Nakamura's feature career, which explains why you've never heard of the most visually ambitious animated film of the 90s.
JP
