It’s actually rather surprising when you think about it. Despite the astronomical popularity of the Dragon Quest franchise, only one movie inspired by the series has ever been produced, and that was over 20 years ago at this point. It explains my huge surprise when the news of a CG animated film based on the series was announced, in development by the same people behind the impressive ‘Stand By Me, Doraemon’ film from a few years ago. While I was surprised, I was also very much interested in how the movie would turn out, and we got our first look at the movie, titled Dragon Quest: Your Story, with a brand new debut trailer that was released which also introduced us to the talented cast of voice actors.
Lending their talents to the film are Takeru Satou as the voice of the main protagonist, Luka, with Kasumi Arimura, Haru, Kentarou Sakaguchi, and Takayuki Yamada lending their talents to the film as well as Bianca, Nera, Prince Harry, and Pankraz respectively. They are just a few of the new voice actors confirmed for this film, and with Kouichi Sugiyama in charge of music and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra acting as the orchestra performing the soundtrack, the film certainly has the people behind it to ensure its success.
But how does the film itself look? Pretty good, actually. CG anime can often be hit and miss in terms of quality, but with the people behind the CG Doraemon film handling this movie, it should be of no surprise that the animation is of an incredibly high standard. The movie is based upon Dragon Quest V and does a good job of taking the artwork and character designs of that game and bringing them to life here.
I have to admit I was a little sceptical before seeing this trailer, but if the job of any trailer is to change the minds of the sceptics and drum up excitement, this trailer should be considered a big success. The movie is set for release in Japanese theatres on August 2, and I for one can’t wait to see more. You can find more information about the film on the movie’s official website.