is a 2013 Japanese anime mystery adventure film and the 33rd installment of the Doraemon film series. Directed by Yukiyo Teramoto and written by Higashi Shimizu, the film follows Doraemon as he travels with Nobita, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo to the Secret Gadget Museum in the future to retrieve his stolen bell. Shimizu supplied the premise, which Teramoto expanded to emphasize friendship. To portray the bond between Doraemon and Nobita, the script incorporates various homages to Sherlock Holmes.
Shin-Ei Animation produced the animation, Kan Sawada composed the score, and Perfume performed the theme song, "Mirai no Museum". Distributed by Toho, it was released in Japan on March 9, 2013, and grossed billion. Adaptations include a manga, an anime comic, and a novelization, all published by Shogakukan, as well as a Nintendo 3DS video game by FuRyu. Critics praised it for its gadget museum theme and its emotional depiction of the friendship between Doraemon and Nobita. It won the Silver Prize at the 31st Golden Gross Awards, presented by the Japan Association of Theatre Owners.
Plot Doraemon is sleeping in his closet when a robotic hand emerges, reaches for his bell, and steals it. In a panic, he consults Nobita, who points out that the bell is broken and asks why it matters. Without revealing the truth, Doraemon claims it is valuable to him and recalls a time when he asked the factory where he was made if they could repair the bell. A factory technician explained that the bell was an obsolete model and too expensive to fix, but Doraemon insisted on keeping it. He pulls out the Sherlock Holmes Set () and gives it to Nobita, who uses it to discover the name of the culprit: Kaitō DX, a well-known gadget thief in the 22nd century.
After discussing the incident with Dorami, Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo travel to the 22nd century to visit the Secret Gadget Museum, where they meet Director Fiks and Kurt, a young museum guide who gives them a tour. Doraemon and Nobita search for the lost bell and meet Inspector Mustard, who is investigating Kaitō DX's connection to the museum. Gian and Suneo unknowingly pass through the Gulliver Tunnel (), which shrinks them. Nobita, Doraemon, and Shizuka get lost in a tunnel leading to the Sun-Manufacturing Machine, which powers the museum. Professor Peppler's negligence caused a freak accident that made the artificial sun gradually expand into a giant star and endanger the world, leading to his dismissal. During that incident, his colleague Hartman discovered Fullmetal, which enabled him to stabilize the sun's core and manufacture secret gadgets.
Doraemon begins acting increasingly like a feral cat. The group spends the night at Kurt's home, where they meet his gelatinous robot pet, Popon. The next day, the museum receives a threat from Kaitō DX, who vows to steal four gadgets at noon. Kaitō DX defeats the group and steals the listed items. Using the Holmes gadget, Nobita discovers that the targeted security gadgets were all repaired on the day Peppler was dismissed. The group's search for him leads to a secret passage. When Kaitō DX intercepts them, Nobita discovers his identity as Kurt. Kurt explains the invention he and Peppler were trying to complete. Converting Fullmetal into "Peppler-Metal" requires six chips that Peppler stashed inside various gadgets, including Doraemon's bell. To retrieve these items, they created the persona of Kaitō DX.
Still shrunken, Gian and Suneo retrieve the Big Light () and restore themselves to normal size. Peppler recovers the chips and begins the conversion. This causes all Fullmetal gadgets to disappear and destabilizes the artificial sun, releasing a monstrous protector that attacks the group. After transforming into Kaitō Dora DX by putting on Kaitō DX's bow tie, Doraemon defeats the monster but accidentally destroys the mainframe controlling the sun. To make the sun disappear, Nobita orders Popon to swallow it. As the museum collapses around them, Peppler reverses the conversion to restore the gadgets, allowing Doraemon to use the Restoring Beam () to repair the building and save the team. Kurt helps search for the bell and returns half of it to Doraemon. Nobita finds the other half, realizes that Doraemon cherishes it because it holds the memory of when their friendship began, and brings it to him.
Voice cast
Voice cast is adapted from the Toho website. Wasabi Mizuta as Doraemon Megumi Ōhara as Nobita Nobi Yumi Kakazu as Shizuka Minamoto Subaru Kimura as Takeshi "Gian" Gōda Tomokazu Seki as Suneo Honekawa Chiaki as Dorami Ken Matsudaira as Inspector Mustard Yūko Sanpei as Kurt Takaya Hashi as Director Fiks Shigeru Chiba as Professor Peppler Yui Horie as Ginger Rikako Aikawa as Popon
Production
Development and writing
Yukiyo Teramoto had storyboarded and directed several episodes of the Doraemon series after its premiere on TV Asahi in 2005. The 33rd installment, Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum, was her third Doraemon film as director, following New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007) and New Steel Troops—Winged Angels (2011), both remakes. Structured as a mystery adventure written by Higashi Shimizu, the screenplay focuses primarily on Doraemon and is grounded in his relationship with Nobita. Shimizu provided the core plot point of searching for Doraemon's bell, which Teramoto expanded to emphasize their friendship.
Because her 2011 film was a serious drama, Teramoto and the production staff wanted to make a more lighthearted follow-up. Although the script initially leaned toward a serious tone during reviews, the story shifted toward comedy in line with Teramoto's preference, as her goal was to leave the audience laughing. Since her previous two films were remakes, this was her first time tackling an original storyline. Developing an original concept required more effort, although she found the process of independently conceiving the setting and details engaging. To keep the story upbeat, all the characters were given cheerful personalities.
The Secret Gadget Museum setting originated from a proposal co-created by Fujiko Pro and Shintaro Mugiwara, who wrote and illustrated Dorabase, a baseball-themed manga spin-off of Doraemon. To develop the premise, Teramoto thoroughly read the original manga to capture Fujiko F. Fujio's world. She frequently consulted the Latest Secret Gadget Encyclopedia (), a Doraemon manga guide published by Shogakukan. She felt a strong attachment to the gadgets she had featured in the television series, including the Milky Way Railroad (), the Wrestling Killer (), and the Woodcutter's Spring ().
A fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, Teramoto believed they remained popular because of their depiction of the friendship between Holmes and Dr. Watson. As the stories combined mystery with partnership, she embedded several references to them and adapted the Holmes–Watson dynamic for Doraemon and Nobita. When brainstorming dialogue to express Nobita's positive traits, Teramoto settled on the phrase "good guy" (); she felt its distinctly boyish quality naturally conveyed the characters' close relationship and mirrored the language Nobita uses in the original manga.
Pre-production
The film was produced by a committee consisting of Fujiko Pro, Shogakukan, TV Asahi, Shin-Ei Animation, Asatsu-DK (ADK), and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (ShoPro); Shin-Ei handled the animation. Minoru Yamaoka was hired as assistant director, Koichi Maruyama as character designer, Makoto Dobashi as art director, and Akiyoshi Tanaka as recording director. The regular voice cast included Wasabi Mizuta (Doraemon), Megumi Ōhara (Nobita), Yumi Kakazu (Shizuka), Subaru Kimura (Gian), Tomokazu Seki (Suneo), and Chiaki (Dorami). Ken Matsudaira joined the voice cast as Inspector Mustard. Teramoto had previously attended a live stage performance starring Matsudaira. She was impressed by his voice acting after he was cast, remarking that it matched Mustard's image perfectly. Other supporting voice actors included Yūko Sanpei (Kurt), Takaya Hashi (Director Fiks), Shigeru Chiba (Professor Peppler), Yui Horie (Ginger), and Rikako Aikawa (Popon).
The museum setting was conceived partly to commemorate the opening of the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum in September 2011. Teramoto and Dobashi expanded the concepts and visuals for the Secret Gadget Museum, designing it for both adults and children to enjoy. They incorporated elements from a visit to that museum, where Teramoto had observed interesting signs and gimmicks. The Secret Gadget Museum was designed with a palace-like exterior and an interior that could be expanded infinitely using a gadget called the Dimension Roller (). Instead of traditional doors, the exhibition rooms were connected in various layouts. To display a large number of secret gadgets, the Robot Hall was chosen as the first exhibition room Nobita and his friends entered. The museum's island setting was inspired by a note in Fujiko Pro's initial planning document referencing Mont-Saint-Michel in France.
Teramoto drew characters while considering their backstories and emotional states, focusing on the nuances of their personal lives. One backstory element was that Professor Peppler switched to drinking black tea after a failure involving coffee, though several such details could not be depicted. Numerous Sherlock Holmes parodies were also integrated. The art pieces The Dancing Dog of Bohemia () and The Devil's Foot Sole Massage (), which appear at the beginning of the film, reference four Holmes stories: "A Scandal in Bohemia" (1891), "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (1903), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" (1910). Machine components placed inside a butter dish in Professor Peppler's laboratory were inspired by "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" (1893), and his installation of microchips into six gadgets was drawn from "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" (1904).
Animation Despite the challenge of depicting the cluttered Anything Hall, where objects were piled to the ceiling, Teramoto believed the animation and background staff successfully brought out a futuristic feel. She found comedy difficult, observing that while movies that evoke tears rely on fixed patterns, laughter is unpredictable, so intended comedic scenes can miss the mark, whereas unexpected ones draw laughs. Teramoto preferred humor that prompted a quiet smirk rather than broad gags, such as having replacement items for Doraemon's bell change without anyone noticing. The action sequences, such as the battle between Kaitō DX and Inspector Mustard, depicted two opposing gadgets clashing like a spear and a shield.
Along with mystery and detective themes new to the franchise, the animation provides emotional depth; the scene where Nobita cleans a ditch was drawn to convey his bond with Doraemon and illustrate why Doraemon treasures his bell. Another scene set in the Matsushiba Repair Service Center, where a character tells Doraemon, "It's cheaper to buy a new one" (), was based on Teramoto's personal experience. In her youth, her father had attached an Anglepoise lamp to her desk; when it broke and a shopkeeper suggested a replacement, she refused for sentimental reasons and instead sent it to the manufacturer for repair.
Dialogue also includes homages to Sherlock Holmes: Doraemon references actor William Gillette's catchphrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson", while Nobita mutters "baritsu" (), a fictional martial art associated with Holmes, when chasing the Wrestling Killer in the Anything Hall. Throughout production, Teramoto prioritized the gentle tone characteristic of Fujiko F. Fujio's work—which she viewed as a reflection of his personality—and ensured that even an angry character's facial expressions were balanced to avoid appearing overly harsh.
Music