On the day of the release of the new Gorillaz album The Mountain comes the triumphant return of Jamie Hewlett's cartoon members of the band, in pretty much their original form - and in arguably their most ambitious production so far.

But is it also the swansong for 2D, Russel, Noodle and Murdoc? 

It's an eight-minute epic, rendered completely in 2D animation, featuring three songs from the album - The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God - directed by Hewlett with long time collaborators Max Taylor and Tim McCourt. And it's a wonderfully-rendered pastiche of an animation classic. No prizes for figuring out what it is, that's clear from the first moments. And it works so well, fitting the musical flavour of this latest offering by Damon Albarn and his numerous collaborators.

Of course the source material gets a very Gorillaz-type twist. It forms the basis of the reunion of the four members in the jungle, before they head off onto a journey to the eponymous Mountain. It's a classic set-up in a Gorillaz video - the rendezvous, followed by minimal action beyond the group engaging with their surroundings, with expertly timed jokes.

Although he is sharing around the credits with his co-directors Taylor and McCourt and sequence director Jonathan Djob Nkondo), there is no mistaking the bone-dry humour that is the Hewlett hallmark and has been a feature of Gorillaz from their very beginning - 25 years ago. He is back on top form here.

And then comes a curveball that swipes you sideways - perhaps appropriately, with the song The Sad God on the soundtrack. The bit where that question comes up: as they disappear, is this lovely Kong Studios-produced film also a fond farewell to the animated version of the band?

Whether it's a real ending or just another twist, you may find you have a lump in your throat.