The Cable Car

I found one frankly interesting work among the overseas entries. Though the title is The Cable Car, the transportation depicted in the work is called a “ropeway” in Japan. Hence, the car could also be referred to as a gondola. An old man, who seems to be suffering from rhinitis, rides the gondola and heads for the mountaintop. Whenever the old man sneezes, the wind pressure destroys the gondola little by little, and finally…as such, the simple story is represented in fast motion, following the conventional cartoon style in which a gag escalates. On the other hand, effectively mixing hand-drawing and 3DCG, the design of character and scenes creates pictures with warmth and texture. The fear of riding in a falling ropeway gondola may be a familiar theme in Switzerland, but it also has a compelling effect on a Japanese audience, since many Japanese have experienced such a thrilling feeling when riding a gondola. This is a strange work, but impresses the viewer by being both funny and a little scary at the same time, with the physiological reaction of sneezing and acuquiring a thrilling sense of coldness from below the ropeway.