Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur

どらえもん のびたのきょうりゅう

Aired: 1980

A theatrical anime produced by Shin-Ei Animation as the very first feature film in the Doraemon film series, distributed by Toho. Based on Fujiko F. Fujio's beloved national manga 'Doraemon,' the film follows Nobita as he discovers a fossilised egg in the hills behind his home and hatches a baby plesiosaur he names Piisuke. Determined to return Piisuke to the Cretaceous-era Japan where he belongs, Nobita, Doraemon, Shizuka, Gian and Suneo embark on a time-travelling expedition with the Doraemon gadgets fans know and love - only to find dinosaur poachers from the future closing in on their fragile young friend. By recombining the manga's slice-of-life humour with full-scale SF adventure stakes, the film established the long-running Doraemon feature franchise that has continued for over four decades, and remains a cornerstone of Japanese family cinema.