Stand By Me Doraemon 2 isn’t even out yet, and the people behind the extremely long-running anime series are already making plans for next year.
The new Doraemon movie for 2021 will be a remake of Doraemon: Nobita’s Little Star Wars. (The film is also known as Nobita’s Little Space War, but that lacks the obvious Star Wars connection).
A new trailer for the film was posted Sunday on YouTube:
Star Wars?
The 1985 film was a loose parody of the original Star Wars trilogy. It featured a lot of science-fiction and space movie elements. (Of course, any anime series about a time-traveling robot gadget cat should already be considered science-fiction, but nevermind.)
Ever since the first Star Wars film came out in 1977, the franchise has been subject to many tributes, parodies, and homages. And, they just keep coming out with new Star Wars movies, TV shows, and even manga, so the parodies keep coming as well. It makes sense that Doraemon would go there.
In the original Nobita’s Little Star Wars film, a tiny alien comes to Earth in a tiny rocketship. Naturally, the alien needs help, and Nobita and his friends offer to protect him.
As always, Doraemon has the perfect gadget for the occasion — a shrink ray, which reduces the kids down to the alien’s size.
By amazing coincidence, some of the kids in the neighborhood were trying to make their own science-fiction movie. Thanks to Doraemon, the miniature props for the movie are the right size for a real space battle.
Tiny Space Adventure
Judging from the new trailer, next year’s movie will feature a lot of hijinks involving getting shrunk down to tiny size (eating giant food, etc.), along with the adventures in space.
The new trailer also features the movie’s theme song, Universe by J-pop group Official HIGE DANdism.
Susumu Yamaguchi will direct the new film. Yamaguchi had previously directed Doraemon: Nobita’s Chronicle of the Moon Exploration.
Stand By Me Doraemon 2 will arrive in Japanese theaters on Nov. 20.
The new film will come out on March 5, 2021.