Reasons why 'Doraemon' is unstoppable.

"Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle Under the Sea" is sweeping Vietnamese theaters at an incredibly rapid pace of earning money. At this rate, the film reaching 200 billion VND is only a matter of time.

Forty-five years after its first appearance on the big screen, Doraemon remains a rare brand that can evoke a shared sense of excitement in both children and adult audiences alike.

Ultimately, the series about the intelligent robot cat has never been appealing solely because of its gadgets or magical adventures – elements easily found anywhere in animated films. What lingers in the audience's minds after each adventure is a beautiful memory of friendship, kindness, tolerance, and faith in life; a simple, sincere emotion that embraces souls both mature and young.

The recent Movie 45 serves as a reminder to audiences why they were so captivated by Doraemon for such a long time.

Renew the adventure

Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (new version) takes audiences back to one of the most exciting and beloved adventures of the chubby cat and his friends.

The story takes place during summer vacation, when Nobita and his friends are arguing fiercely about where to go on vacation . Following Doraemon's suggestion, the group decides to camp... in the middle of the ocean. Using the underwater Buggy gadget and adaptive flashlight, the group finally embarks on an exciting underwater camping trip.

But there, they unexpectedly encounter the mysterious young man El, a deep-sea inhabitant of the "Mu Federation." From a vacation, the group is drawn into a tense conflict between Mu and Atlantis, facing a threat that could endanger the entire planet.

While the 1983 version impressed with its concept of the deep sea and its rich ocean ecosystem, the 2026 remake reinvents itself with a more modern storytelling approach. The script is streamlined, the pace is faster, and it's significantly easier to follow.

This is a remake of the original 1983 film.

The most noticeable change lies in how the film incorporates modern issues. Doraemon has never been a brand exclusively for children, and Movie 45 continues to prove this by including hot topics such as war, the marine environment, artificial intelligence, and the conflict between humans and technology.

Buggy has been significantly upgraded compared to the previous film. From a programmed vehicle, it gradually learns to understand human emotions and becomes the sixth member of Nobita's group. The new version devotes more time to building a close relationship between Buggy and Shizuka and the rest of the group. Allowing an AI to gradually understand the concept of friendship, to worry, feel heartache, and empathize makes Buggy a more emotionally rich character in the film.

Not only Buggy, but El has also been significantly revamped. While the 1983 version presented a simple character, this remake allows El to mature both physically and emotionally. He is torn between his responsibility to protect his homeland and his empathy for humanity. These inner complexities mean that the underwater character no longer simply serves as a "guide" for the Doraemon group as before.

Besides the revamped content, Movie 45 continues to leverage the power of the Doraemon brand with its magical gadgets, both familiar and novel, that have captivated the childhoods of many generations of viewers. The magic door, the adaptive flashlight, the underwater Buggy, and other ocean survival devices make the adventure more vibrant than ever.

The magical appeal of Doraemon

Doraemon has never needed overly complex plot twists to captivate viewers. What has kept this brand going for decades lies in the satisfying feeling of joining Nobita and his friends as they enter a fantastical world filled with countless creatures and novel survival rules.

The film grossed 100 billion VND in just 6 days in Vietnamese theaters.

Following this formula, the 45th film in the series still delivers an adventurous experience, with an essential emphasis on emotional depth. Instead of trying to become a philosophical or grandiose Disney blockbuster, Doraemon remains faithful to the content formula that has endeared it to audiences for decades: kindness and friendship overcoming challenges, and the power of unity ensuring no one is left behind.

Nobita remains clumsy, shy, and often fearful – understandable emotions and states for a primary school boy. However, what makes Nobita special is that, despite his fear, he chooses to stand up and protect his friends when needed. Doraemon becomes his invaluable companion, helping a weak boy gradually become a hero in the most relatable and down-to-earth way.

Beyond its captivating storyline, the new film also offers a remarkably vivid visual experience. The underwater world is brilliantly depicted with glowing domes, a giant sea city, and colorful, diverse marine creatures. The Mu Federation is recreated as a fairytale aquarium on the big screen, evoking a sense of adventure true to the Doraemon genre.

However, the film is not without its flaws. The story in the second half feels a bit rushed, especially in the action and climactic scenes. The underwater confrontations don't quite deliver the tension expected. Compared to the original 1983 version, many details about the ocean and marine life knowledge have been cut, making the story more concise but also leaving a sense of incompleteness.

The visuals are brighter and more vibrant, but inadvertently lose the eerie atmosphere of the original. Some scenes fail to evoke the overwhelming feeling of the deep ocean. Nevertheless, these shortcomings do not diminish the appeal of Movie 45. The film still demonstrates the overwhelming power of the Doraemon brand at the Japanese box office.

Doraemon remains an irreplaceable choice in the animation genre.

On its opening weekend, the film raked in nearly 800 million yen, beating its competitors. After 52 days in theaters, the animated blockbuster reached nearly 4 billion yen with over 3.18 million tickets sold – a figure that demonstrates the enduring appeal of an animation brand that has existed for over half a century.

In Vietnam, Doraemon also caused a sensation at the box office, dominating the box office charts. After about a week of release, the film grossed 125 billion VND , becoming the highest-grossing foreign film of 2026 to date.

Source: https://znews.vn/ly-do-khong-can-noi-doraemon-post1655350.html