The world premiere of the latest film version of the popular anime "Doraemon", "Doraemon: Nobita's Art World Tales " (directed by Yukiyo Teramoto, released on March 7th), the 44th film in the series, was held on February 23rd (local time) at the Space Cinema Moderno in Rome, Italy, where Wasabi Mizuta , the voice actor of Doraemon , and Aimyon, who sings the theme song for the latest film, made an appearance. The cityscape of the Principality of Arturia, the "world inside the painting" where the latest film is set, is modeled after Italy, and since " Doraemon" is a popular content there, the world premiere was held in Italy.
The latest film is set in a world inside a painting, where Doraemon, Nobita and friends meet in the painting and face off against powerful enemies in search of a mystical jewel. The production staff actually visited various parts of Italy and used Italian cityscapes as a reference when creating the medieval European cityscape. There are many scenes in the film that are reminiscent of Italy, from the atmosphere of the square, to the buildings with distinctive colors such as beige, brown and orange, to the contrast of sunlight.
Mizuta and Aimyon, who are best friends, appeared on stage at the world premiere. 151 parents and children gathered at the venue, where Mizuta presented the children with original stickers featuring Doraemon, while Aimyon handed out Doraemon sun visors. Seeing the children excitedly put the stickers on their chests and put on the visors, Mizuta commented, "The children are so cute! It's moving to see people from the generation that has been watching Doraemon for a long time bringing their own children." Aimyon also commented, "When I handed them the sun visors, they put them on right away, and we took pictures together, and it was heartwarming... It was great to see so many happy expressions on the children's faces."
Before the screening, Mizuta, Aimyon, and Doraemon appeared on stage to greet the audience. They greeted the audience in Italian, which elicited thunderous applause. After the greeting, Mizuta and Aimyon took their seats and watched the full Italian dubbed version for the first time with the local audience. When the film ended and the credits began to roll, the audience erupted in a standing ovation, and the applause continued for about three minutes until the end of the credits. Seeing the thunderous cheers and the children dancing spontaneously, the two, with tears in their eyes, looked back at the audience and bowed repeatedly to express their gratitude.
After the event, Mizuta said, "I received a lot of energy from the audience who expressed themselves with their whole bodies and got the movie excited! I was surprised that this was a way to enjoy it! It was the first time I'd ever seen it, and it gave me chills. I was nervous about greeting in Italian, but I was glad that I was able to copy the MC's comments exactly (laughs). I knew that Doraemon was watched all over the world, but this was the first time in my 20 years as a voice actor that I was able to experience it for myself, so it was a valuable experience. What's more, being able to experience it with Aimyon, who I love, is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
Aimyon said, "We could hear shouts of 'Whoo!' and chants of 'Doraemon' from the audience, and they were constantly expressing their feelings with their whole body...! When they said 'That was great!' after the screening, Wasabi and I were both moved to tears. The standing ovation was touching, and it was adorable to see the kids running around happily! I was also very nervous about saying hello in Italian, but I managed to do it! During the final photo session, the kids went straight for Doraemon, and it really showed me how popular he is. Feeling the passion of the local people once again made me realize that Doraemon is loved all over the world, and I know because I love him too!" and it made me happy,"
