Development "This work was completed over a long period of time, supported by the words of Monkey Punch Sensei:
3DCG Lupin is my dream. To express "Lupin" that everyone knows in 3DCG was a very happy and exciting job. Especially with regard to unique movements and facial expressions, I think that the production team's high technical ability and deep love for Lupin have made it attractive compared to overseas masterpieces. It would be great if not only fans but also people who have not touched the work so far can feel that "I like Lupin more" after watching the movie. I sincerely hope that this work "THE FIRST" will serve as a bridge to bring more Japanese stories to the world." — Producer Takeshi Ito (
Marza Animation Planet)The film was teased by
Kiyoshi Kobayashi after the passing of
Monkey Punch.
Sega Sammy Holdings, the parent company of both
TMS Entertainment and
Marza Animation Planet also made a tweet later. On June 10, 2019, a Twitter account under the name @lupin_3rd_movie was created showing a poster of a 3D model of Lupin wearing Arsène Lupin's sword-scarred hat. With the tagline, "40 years from the immortal masterpiece
The Castle of Cagliostro," it was revealed that
Lupin III would debut as a 3D character for the first time. It had been twenty-three years since a Lupin feature film released in cinemas ever since
Lupin III: Dead or Alive in 1996. Bringing the eponymous thief into the 3D format was one of Monkey Punch's most cherished goals. The film is dedicated to the memory of Monkey Punch, the creator of
Lupin III, who died on April 11, 2019, before the movie was released. When Monkey Punch saw the preliminary results of the movie he stated, "I’ve been looking forward to a 3DCG Lupin III for a long time. I’ve taken a look at the characters and story: it looks like this Lupin will come packed with new sensations, and I’m getting excited just thinking about how the film will turn out." The teaser features a montage of the history of Lupin's adaptations from
traditional hand drawn animation to finally the 3D footage. The animation team decided Lupin will wear the red jacket (
second anime (1977-1980)). Later on October 1, 2019, the official trailer and poster was released. On November 22, 2019
Toho released the opening title sequence of the film.
Takashi Yamazaki, one of Japan's leading film animation directors who previously worked for such projects as
Dragon Quest: Your Story, wrote the script and directed the movie. Initially, the director was only writing the screenplay for the movie as a consultant for Marza. The studio was looking for a director and Yamazaki's interest in the film and the creativity warranted nomination for director. Yamazaki was entrusted the
Lupin the Third franchise. Marza Animation made over twelve screenplays and three story reels for the film. The storyboards were detailed with voice actor's voices acting as a reference point. At Marza each script was transferred to a storyboard reel that was critiqued. The weak parts were edited out. Despite the harsh criticism that was mentally grueling moments for the director, the screenplay process by Marza was intended to have a beneficial effect at the end, when the team finally were able to edit out and create a more efficient script. The film was initially set to be shot Hollywood-style with the characters in a globetrotting adventure. However, the undertaking of such a task in Japan as opposed to Hollywood was noted to be a formidable task. Therefore, the film team went into the route of CGI that can also create an action film. The creative team of the Lupin franchise from previous works resumed for this production. For the first time since the stories were serialized as a cartoon in 1967 and in animated television in 1971, the eponymous thief was animated into a 3D figure amidst CGI background. Naoaki Kitajima, producer for the movie stated the movie is a testament to the creative potential of the Japanese people. The script features an adventure with
Mesoamerican,
Mesopotamian mythology, and Nazi intrigue. The movie was slated to be released in
Japan on December 6, 2019, by
Toho following a worldwide release schedule during December 16 in
France, the birthplace of Lupin's grandfather. The original cast that voiced the previous Lupin installments returned including the eponymous Lupin voiced by Kanichi Kurita. Miyuki Sawashiro voiced Fujiko Mine, Daisuke Namikawa voiced Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Kiyoshi Kobayashi voiced Daisuke Jigen and Kōichi Yamadera as Zenigata. New characters appear in the film including Suzu Hirose as Laetitia the heroine archaeologist, Kōtarō Yoshida as archaeologist Lambert, and Tatsuya Fujiwara as Geralt.
GKIDS announced the English-dub voice cast that will feature the returning voices of Tony Oliver as Lupin III; Richard Epcar as Daisuke Jigen; Lex Lang as Goemon Ishikawa; Michelle Ruff as Fujiko Mine; Doug Erholtz as Koichi Zenigata; Laurie C. Hymes as Laetitia; David Brimmer as Lambert; and Paul Guyet as Geralt. On October 18, 2019, the movie was presented at the Hibiya Cinema Festival at
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya. On November 11, 2019, a preview was held at
Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills theater. On December 6, 2019, the movie debuted at Toho Cinemas in
Hibiya, Tokyo where a stage greeting of cast was held that included
Kiyoshi Kobayashi who previously voiced Daisuke Jigen. The success of the film spurred new distributions in North America. In March 2019
GKIDS who specializes in distributing Japanese classics to North America agreed to distribute the movie in 2020. COVID-19 delayed the launch of the movie in North America by several months. The film was intended to be an ancestral historical flashback film, highlighted by the nostalgic segue into the times of grandfather
Arsène Lupin, as Lupin tries to follow in his grandfather's footsteps in Paris. Yamazaki stated, the film's appeal is how a thief despite their reputation is depicted as a charismatic hero thief who helps out a girl who has no freedom. The creators of the film wanted to evoke realistic adventure
thriller elements into the film without resorting to placing the setting in a fictitious setting. Therefore, the film has considerable
007 James Bond themes present. The film was intended to be a highlight of the Japanese cinema industry during the new era of the
Reiwa. However, the film will continue to depict the stories during the nostalgic
Shōwa period with the use of technology in the film depicting airplanes used during
World War II or the
Fiat 500. The time was set in the later half of the 1960s.
Marketing British luxury apparel brand
Dunhill launched a campaign in recognition of the release of the movie by featuring the key characters wearing Dunhill AW19 runway collection pieces. Lupin III wears pieces from the Walnut Dash capsule inspired by vintage British car interiors of the 1970s and 1980s; Jigen wears pinstripe suit with
trilby hats inspired by English country dressing; and Goemon the samurai wears a
kimono-style topcoat.
Nippon Television hosted a telethon from November 29 featuring the TV adaptations of
Lupin the 3rd.
Fiat had a special promotion with the Lupin team since one of the iconic car chases involve a
Fiat 500. Darts company collaborated with the movie makers to distribute a limited edition Lupin-themed dartboard. Seafood specialty store Fukuya promoted the movie in their lineup of seafood brands. The DVD was released with the movie's clockwork motif of the Bresson Diary as the cover. The deluxe Blu-ray will include a special "Bresson Diary" type edition and a booklet of approximately 100 pages. French animation magazine
Animascope, printed their first issue, featuring the character Lupin from the film, in its front cover.
Animation The movie became one of the earliest examples of Japanese 3D CGI content, which is still at a development stage compared to the established and mainstream 2D anime industry. The director explained creating 3DCGI content from Japanese 2D animation is a sophisticated transition that needs to find the right medium. If the translation is done with intricate details, the output will look completely different from what is intended. The director however explained 3D animation still has potential in Japan. There was increased attention whether Lupin can survive a CGI reboot from 2D. Yamasaki cleared the distinction between hand-drawn 2D and 3D in an interview. For the director, CG tends to see more action. The director agreed both media should be taken into account by the spirit of their drawing. The animation team presented the nimble capabilities of the small car in a chase. The 3D aspect of the chase was supplemented by sound of tire squeaking, braking sound, and running sound like an "acrobatic running style." The action sequences, such as the car chase and airplane dog fight were pre-made in 3D. Takaaki Kise was in charge for the production of those scenes. Ohno who has previously worked for many Lupin installments was asked to bring back the nostalgic
Shōwa post-war era jazz compositions familiar in such theme songs as
Fire Treasure (
Honoo no Takaramono) in
The Castle of Cagliostro. As a result,
Gift was rendered that combined with the rest of the soundtrack to create a jazz score. ==Release==