Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth

Tsutomu Shibayama's 1993 animation is the fourteenth entry in the Doraemon film series. Nobita and his friends find a portal to a mysterious resort full of metal buildings, and soon realise that the person who opened it has another motive. In the resort robots do all the work and people expend no effort on anything. The idea underneath is among the most explicitly political in the series: a society that hands everything to machines begins to be governed by them. That criticism, present in Fujiko F. Fujio's storytelling, is unusually clear for a production aimed at children. The visual design rests on the contrast between the metal city and the natural landscape. It is not a suitable entry point for anyone who does not know the series. Who it's for: viewers following the Doraemon series and interested in Japanese children's animation. Who it's not for: anyone unfamiliar with the series, or who will find the simplicity aimed at children insufficient.