Stand By Me Doraemon is basically the origin story of the anime classic. This is where we see how the two main characters, Doraemon and Nobita, meet and learn the purpose of their bond until it builds into a long friendship. At this aspect, it's pretty adorable and engaging. Though most of the time it's basically just Doraemon helping out Nobita with his gadgets from the future and also sometimes use it to impress the other kids around. The first act of the film is friendly fun, but when it proceeds to its actual center, it starts out quite intriguing and compelling. There is some point in the theme that kind of misses some stronger opportunities, but when it sticks to its characters, Stand By Me Doraemon is still pretty fun.
The film opens introducing the daily life of Nobita who has been conforming in his clumsiness and mediocrity until he meets his descendant from the next four generations who traveled back to past with a robot cat named Doraemon. He sent Doraemon to help him live his better so he could alter a supposedly disappointing fate. It's clearly a tale about avoiding the consequences of continuing bad habits until the very future. It also tells about the value of doing things for yourself and not being too reliant on special gadgets or anything that makes thing inconsequentially simple. It's a nice message, though the film should have given the main character more motivations than just marrying the girl that he wants in the future. It's a cute coming-of-age story arc, but again, it might have been more interesting if it finds more advantages on his own improvements as a person. In fact, some parts that take place in the future doesn't look like he abandons much of his old habits. But it's all about the character, I guess. It's still a nice storyline, but it would have been much engaging if it digs more potential on that theme.
The best parts are likely the ones that made the show so likable. It's just the simple, episodic moments when Doraemon is just giving Nobi some of his gadgetry to help him amend his mistakes or just play with the other kids. It's creative, it's funny and it's filled with delight. The film does feel a little too long at its final act where it's basically just a drama of Doraemon leaving on his sight, but it does conclude into a sweeter ending. It's just kind of dragging, but I believe it's to create an atmosphere of emotions. If that's the purpose, then it can be effective. The animation sort of looks like a higher quality video game; a good looking one, much like Billy Hatcher. Though what really makes it impressive is how it resembles to an actual handwritten animation, from the silly expressions of the characters, to their world's own laws of physics. The version I saw is an English dubbed one and it's sort of okay, if you could let go of the voices in the version you grew up with.
Stand by Me Doraemon leaves enough good-natured fun and heart in end. The theme of the story also made it worth it, though I still have suggestions to it. But as a movie that tries to bring nostalgia or introduce the characters to a new audience, this movie is just warm and delightful enough to be appreciated, and even for something that seems to be a family movie, this does make the viewers think in its lessons. It's wonderful and heartwarming, it may not be quite groundbreaking, but you'll get what you'd like to see in it.
