“Stand by Me: Doraemon” (ドラえもん) is a 2014 Japanese 3D computer animated film based on the Doraemon manga series and is directed by Takashi Yamazaki and Ryūichi Yagi. It was released on 8th August 2014. Bang Zoom! Entertainment premiered an English-dubbed version of the film at the Tokyo International Film Festival on 24th October 2014.
Since its initial release, the 95-minute long film has earned a total of USD86.1 million internationally. It was also one of the highest earning movies of 2014 in Japan earning in excess of USD79 million there!
And if you didn’t hear, “Stand By Me: Doraemon”, both the original version as well as a version dubbed in Bahasa Malaysia, will be released in a cinema near you on 29th Jan 2015. But first, let’s check out some quick fun facts about the film ahead of its release in Malaysia:
1. The film was released to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Fujiko F. Fujio – the moniker of duo Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko. They joined forces in 1954 and created Doraemon in 1969. They worked together until 1987 but even after Fujimoto died in 1996 the friendship of Doraemon and its human companion Nobita was continued by syndicated manga-writing teams.
2. In Japan, to celebrate the release of “Stand By Me: Doraemon”, famous Japanese confectioner Glico released specially marked packs of Pretz, Collon, and Pocky to include hidden secrets: 3D moving images of Doraemon that come to life. But they weren’t just any random images – you could create them on your own with your very own colours and designs which would later be transformed into moving “augmented reality” images with the help of a special app.
Check it out:
*Pictures from here.
3. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki (“Always: Sunset on Third Street”, “Space Battleship Yamato”) and 3D effects specialist and game creator Ryuichi Yagi reportedly spent more than a year on developing the modeling for the CG characters. The production team also created the animation to match the voices, rather than the usual other way around.
4. “Stand By Me: Doraemon” is also the first time a 3D version of a Doraemon film was ever produced. A breakdown video of the 3D computer graphics production was previously released, which focuses on the creation of the film ranging from initial animatic to the fully rendered final product.
Watch:
5. Although the movie is loosely based on the first 7 volumes of the manga series, the movie plot combines the “Doraemon” manga chapters; “All the way from the country of the future”, “Romance in snowy moutain”, “Partners of the Night”, “The night before Nobita’s wedding”, and “Good bye, Doraemon”.
6. “Stand By Me: Doraemon” is said to be the final story of Doraemon and Nobita, but another Doraemon animation film is set for release this year. Titled, “Doraemon: Nobita’s Space Heroes“, it will also be produced by Shin-Ei Animation under director Yoshihiro Osugi.
7. Last but no least, upon the movie’s release, a web survey was published giving a closer look at the attendees. The audience consisted of 20.4% were children, 21.5% were in their 20s, 20.4% were in their 30s, 20.4% were in their 40s. 47% were male while 53% were female. Shocking?
Wanna give the movie a shot? You’d be surprised how much you’d actually enjoy it! After all, didn’t we all grow up to the popular worldwide sensation cyborg cat anyway? 
Watch the trailer here:
“Stand By Me: Doraemon”, both the original version as well as a version dubbed in Bahasa Malaysia, will be released in a cinema near you on 29th Jan 2015.
For more information, visit the movie’s Facebook page.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Stand By Me: Doraemon” Wikia.