The beloved robotic cat Doraemon is set to return to the big screen in 2026 with a remake of the classic 1983 film, Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil. Titled Doraemon: Nobita and the New Castle of the Undersea Devil, this marks the 45th installment in the long-running film series and promises a fresh take on an iconic underwater adventure. The announcement, made on September 6, 2025, was accompanied by a teaser visual and a special trailer, sparking excitement among fans.
Diving Deep: The New Doraemon Film Details
The upcoming 2026 Doraemon film, officially known as Doraemon: Nobita and the New Castle of the Undersea Devil, will reimagine the fourth Doraemon feature film, which originally premiered on March 12, 1983. This new adaptation will be directed by Tetsuo Yajima, who brings extensive experience from the Doraemon TV anime and previous films such as Doraemon: Nobita’s New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007) and Doraemon: Nobita’s Earth Symphony (2024). This marks Yajima’s debut as a director for a Doraemon feature film. The screenplay is penned by Isao Murayama, a prolific writer for the Doraemon TV anime, taking on his first film series role.
The teaser visual for the film features Doraemon and his friends standing on the surface of clear water, accompanied by the intriguing tagline: “10,000 meters beneath the sea. There is still a world on Earth that no one knows.” A mysterious boy and the outline of the vast Castle of the Undersea Devil are visible in the water’s reflection, hinting at the thrilling deep-sea journey awaiting the characters. The special trailer offered glimpses of a sunken ship on the ocean floor, an enormous, unknown sea creature, and a fantastical undersea city, all building anticipation for the challenges Doraemon and friends will face at what is described as the closest point to Earth’s core.
The Original Adventure: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983)
The 1983 original, Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil, was directed by Tsutomu Shibayama and loosely drew inspiration from the Western myths of Atlantis and the mythical continent of Mu. The plot follows Nobita, Doraemon, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo as they embark on an underwater camping trip.
Plot Overview of the 1983 Film
The adventure begins with the friends divided on their vacation destination, eventually settling on an underwater excursion after the Bermuda Triangle makes news. Equipped with Doraemon’s gadgets, including an adaptation light for underwater survival and an intelligent underwater buggy named Buggy, they set off. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when Gian and Suneo, eager to find a treasure ship, venture into the Atlantic Ocean alone.
The group soon finds themselves captured by inhabitants of the underwater kingdom of Mu, led by the Prime Minister and a character named Eru. They discover a vast, hidden underwater civilization that has avoided contact with surface nations for millennia. The narrative escalates as they learn of another undersea kingdom, Atlantis, now controlled by hostile robots, plotting to destroy Earth with nuclear weapons, mistaking a volcanic eruption for an invasion. Doraemon and his friends, with Eru’s help, embark on a perilous mission to Atlantis, located in the Bermuda Triangle, to find and neutralize Poseidon, Atlantis’s main computer residing in the “Devil’s Castle.” The climax involves a desperate struggle against Poseidon and its iron guards, culminating in Buggy’s heroic sacrifice to destroy the supercomputer, saving both the undersea world and the surface from catastrophe.
Legacy and Anticipation for the Remake
The original Doraemon: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil was a significant entry in the film series, known for its blend of science fiction and adventure. Remakes in the Doraemon film series are not uncommon, allowing new generations of viewers to experience classic stories with updated animation and contemporary storytelling elements. The 2026 film’s return to this deep-sea epic forty-three years after its initial release suggests an effort to rekindle the magic of this particular adventure for a modern audience, while maintaining the core themes of friendship, courage, and exploration that define the Doraemon franchise. Fans eagerly await further details on how this classic tale will be re-envisioned for its 2026 release.
