No cat can match the popularity of the Japanese animated character Doraemon in modern times — the cat with the clumsy boy Nobita is back in yet another animated film. This time around, they search for the perfect world, with the help of their time-traveling gadgets.

The Doraemon franchise is one of the most popular in Asia, where the ‘earless blue cat’ is instantly recognisable and like Mickey Mouse is loved amongst the child populace. Doraemon has a technological edge over its contemporaries and one should be thankful to Doraemon for providing kids of today a much clearer concept of time traveling.

Nobita, a 10-year-old lazy and non-athletic boy, gets to know of Utopia from a friend in school. It’s a formal introduction to Thomas More’s concept which these kids mix with their ideas. With his friends, Nobita begins searching for the perfect place in the world, where no one would be mean to him and he does not have to pass difficult school examinations.

He manages to lead his friends to a utopia country above clouds, called ‘Paradapia’. The place usually found in fairy tales, is ruled by three sages; Sci, Poli and Culti. Although Nobita’s friends Shizuka, Gian and Suneo adjust to the ‘perfect’ life, Nobita and Doraemon believe something is fishy in the clouds. The two get to the bottom of the problem and hence begin the fight. With most of his gadgets obsolete, Doraemon uses other ways to unite his friends.

Kids also get to know the technique of mind control, which gives them a fair idea concerning the dark side of humanity. With encouragement and close bonding, Nobita manages to defy the odds and breaks out of the dirty game which includes fraud and deceit. To match the brilliance of Doraemon, we have Sonya, the perfect robot cat in Paradapia. Thank God, the control by the ‘bad guys’ only includes humans as Sonya plays a positive role in bringing things to normal. The robot cat also had a strange history of her own, which is also discussed.

A Japanese animated science fiction film, it can be viewed with easy-to-understand subtitles in English. The flair of the story remains intact throughout the 108-minute duration. An intelligent, well-crafted package for kids, Doraemon: Nobita’s Sky Utopia not only allows kids to think differently, but also makes them believe that there is no place better than home.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 9th, 2023