General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Earth Symphony

Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Earth Symphony (映画ドラえもんのび太の地球交響楽（ちきゅうシンフォニー）, Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Chikyū Shinfonī) is a 2024 Japanese animated film, the 43rd feature in the Doraemon movie series, built around an original story in which Doraemon and his friends use music to save the Earth from a creature that erases sound.¹ It was released in Japan on March 1, 2024 by Toho, directed by Kazuaki Imai and written by Teruko Utsumi, and was designated a commemorative work for the 90th anniversary of creator Fujiko F. Fujio's birth.²^•³

Key fact	Detail
Series position	43rd Doraemon theatrical feature; announced July 6, 2023 for a March 2024 release¹
Japanese release	March 1, 2024, distributed by Toho²
Japan box office	4.31 billion yen, 9th among 2024 Japanese films⁴
Early milestone	3.683 billion yen and about 3.095 million admissions by April 8, 2024⁵
Running time	115 minutes⁶
Key staff	Director Kazuaki Imai; screenplay Teruko Utsumi; music Takayuki Hattori; theme song "Time Paradox" by Vaundy²
Home video	Blu-ray and DVD released August 28, 2024³

Spoilers

Story and theme

The film is a completely original story, not an adaptation of a specific manga arc, with music as its theme: what would happen if music disappeared from the Earth?¹ Nobita, practicing the recorder for his school concert despite disliking the instrument, is visited by a mysterious girl named Mikka, who likes the laid-back "no" note he plays. She invites Nobita, Doraemon, and their friends to the Hall of Music (Farere), a place built on a planet where music becomes energy. To revive the hall, Mikka has been searching for the music master Virtuoso; using the secret gadget called the Musician's License, Doraemon's friends choose instruments and, by performing with Mikka, gradually restore the hall. A creepy life form that erases music from the world then approaches, putting both the hall and the Earth in danger.²^•⁷

The antagonist creatures, called Noise, are amoeba-like beings that multiply quickly; they sap energy and fall dormant while music plays, becoming active the moment it stops.⁸ The Musician's License raises its holder's level from beginner toward amateur and professional as playing improves, a device that makes Nobita's slow progress visible on screen.⁹

Production

Director Kazuaki Imai had previously directed Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Treasure Island (2018), which set the series' record gross of 5.37 billion yen, and worked on direction for Nobita's New Dinosaur (2020).¹ In an interview with Kunitachi College of Music, Imai said the idea began with his wish to show children that making music themselves, and blending sounds with others, is enjoyable; because music had never been the theme of a Doraemon film, he worried whether the concept would be accepted, but the producers backed it fully.¹⁰ A separate account traces the origin to Imai's being moved during the pandemic by children attending concerts remotely from home.⁸

Total production took more than three years, and roughly half of that time went into getting the scenario to an acceptable state; Imai worked on the story structure mainly with screenwriter Teruko Utsumi and scenario collaborator Daisuke Sato.¹⁰ Composer Takayuki Hattori wrote the film's symphonic music so that children could relate to it and even play it on recorder, while still making it moving as a full orchestral work; Imai and Hattori exchanged drafts over more than three years to build the performance scenes.¹¹^•¹² The theme song, "Time Paradox," was performed by Vaundy.²

The regular cast returned: Wasabi Mizuta as Doraemon, Megumi Ohara as Nobita, Yumi Kakazu as Shizuka, Subaru Kimura as Gian, and Tomokazu Seki as Suneo, with Riana Hirano as Mikka. Guest voice actors included Kyoko Yoshine, Koji Kikkawa, Kanji Ishimaru, and the comedy duo Kagaya.²^•¹³ A Dolby Atmos version was announced on February 23, 2024, with a re-release of that version announced on March 22, and a barrier-free screening was also scheduled.¹⁴

Box office

In Japan the film earned 4.31 billion yen, ranking 9th among Japanese films released in 2024, according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren).⁴ By April 8, 2024, its fifth week, it had passed 3.683 billion yen on about 3.095 million admissions and moved back up to second place on the weekly chart.⁵^•¹⁵

Overseas, the film opened in China on May 31, 2024, grossing $18,484,033 there per The Numbers; South Korea followed on July 10, 2024 ($639,738), Australia and New Zealand on July 11, and Hong Kong earlier, on January 8, 2024.¹⁶^•¹⁷ Aggregate totals differ between trackers: The Numbers lists $47,085,984 worldwide (including $27,947,089 for Japan), while Box Office Mojo lists $33,399,912 (including $25,139,030 for Japan).¹⁶^•¹⁸

Reception

Audience ratings were middling: IMDb shows 6.6/10 from about 2,000 ratings, and Rotten Tomatoes lists a 60% audience score with no critic reviews counted.¹⁹^•²⁰ Japanese reviews praised the sincerity of the film's approach to music and its performance scenes, but commonly noted a slow middle and a villain with little motivation; one reviewer described the result as a gentle music-appreciation film rather than a thriller.¹²^•⁸ Imai said in the press notes that he wanted audiences to feel as if they had joined a concert, empathizing with the children as their playing improved.¹²

The film also generated tie-ins aimed at children's first musical experiences: Yamaha Music School ran a campaign from February 8, 2024 offering original goods to 40,000 trial-lesson participants, and Bandai Namco sold a themed ice product.²¹^•²² Blu-ray and DVD editions, including a deluxe set with a 64-page booklet and Utsumi's full script, went on sale August 28, 2024 with Dolby Atmos audio.³

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026