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Doraemon, Giovanni's Island Dubs Premiere in L.A. on July 5
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Little Tokyo's Aratani Theater in Los Angeles will premiere the English dubs of Doraemon and Production I.G's Giovanni's Island on July 5. Both will have two, free screenings: Doraemon will be shown at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and Giovanni's Island will be shown at 11:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. The Doraemon screening is listed as 30 minutes long.
The English version of Doraemon will premiere on Disney XD, a children's channel available in 78 million households, on Monday, July 7 at 12:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. Central). Disney XD will run a total of 26 episodes five times a week. The dub stars: Mona Marshall as Doraemon, Johnny Yong Bosch as Noby (Nobita in Japanese), Cassandra Lee Morris as Sue (Shizuka), Brian Beacock as Sneetch (Suneo), and Kaiji Tang as Big G (Gian).
The manga creator duo Fujiko Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko) created Doraemon in 1969. In the story, the robotic cat was sent by a boy in the future to the present day to help the boy's hapless grandfather, Nobita. Doraemon, Nobita, and other children deal with everyday childhood issues, solve (and cause) problems with the gadgets in Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket, and embark on escapades through time and space.
The story and the names of characters and gadgets have been partially changed out of consideration for American culture and customs. Doraemon's owner Nobita is now "Noby," the bully Gian is now "Big G," the flying contraption Takecopter is now the "Hopter," and the magical portal "Dokodemo Door" is now the "Anywhere Door." The recent English edition of the manga also has similar names. The adaptation will move the setting from Japan to a fictional place in America. Other changes have been detailed here.
Production I.G's Annecy-winning hand-animated Giovanni's Island film tells the story of two brothers living on the island of Shikotan. Their family and the people of the island hear of Japan's loss in the war and are told not to worry. However, their island gets caught in the middle of the continuing conflict in the west and is invaded by Russian soldiers. The boys meet a western girl on the island named Tanya and the older of the brothers, despite their language barriers, cultural differences, and warnings from friends, starts to fall in love with her. The boys' father gets lured out by the army is and is captured and taken to Siberia. The brothers embark on a journey to see their father again.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip
