Ojamajo Doremi 20th anniversary film "Witch Apprentice wo Sagashite" will be released in theaters on May 15, 2020!

The "Ojamajo Doremi" TV animation production team has "miraculously" reunited for the 20th anniversary film "Witch Apprentice wo Sagashite", which will be released on May 15, 2020.

The "Ojamajo Doremi" series was broadcast as an original TV animation work for four years from 1999 to 2002. The series recorded the highest viewer rating of 13.9%, and was so popular that not only girls but also boys were watching it at the time. In addition to the comical visuals and the "magical girl" theme, the series has a "sense of excitement" and "fantasy" that is different from previous "magical girl" works. In addition to the "excitement" and "fantasy" of the "magical girl" theme, the clear theme of "overcoming difficulties by one's own strength," which was different from previous "magical girl" works, had a great impact on children at the time.

The production team behind the "Ojamajo Doremi" series, which was so popular with children, has reunited for the first time in 20 years. The long-awaited latest original animated feature film "Witch Apprentice wo Sagashite" will be released on May 15, 2020.

A special talk event with the production team will be held.
Ahead of the film's release, a special talk event with the production team was held at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. At the same time, three older films from the "Ojamajo Doremi" series were also screened.

The event was attended by approximately 250 people, far exceeding initial expectations. Once the screening began, "many people smiled when they saw the characters of "Ojamajo Doremi" and enjoyed themselves while humming the theme songs of the films," said the organizer. In addition, the world premiere of the film's storyline, character visuals, and some of the film's storyboards were shown to the public.

After the screening, a special talk event was held with Hiromi Seki, producer of many popular animated films at Toei Animation, director Junichi Sato, director Yu Kamatani, screenwriter Midori Kuriyama, and character designer and chief animation director Yoshihiko Umakoshi.

Below are the official comments (in Japanese only)

What made you decide to produce the movie "Witch Apprentice wo Sagashite" in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the "Ojamajo Doremi" series?
Producer: Hiromi Seki]
Twenty years have passed since the TV broadcast began, and many things have happened in Japan. I believe that many things have happened to the people who used to watch anime. So I wanted to make a work that could be enjoyed by those of you who have grown up, and that is why I approached Director Sato. When making a film, I am always conscious of what kind of audience will be watching it, but I thought it would be better to go back to the basics, just as I did with the TV animation, so I talked to the director and the script writer.

How did you feel when you were actually asked to make the film? And how did you go about creating the story?
Director: Junichi Sato
After the project was announced, I often heard people say, "I used to watch 'Ojamajo Doremi'", so I thought it was worthwhile to do it as a project. I thought it was worthwhile to do it as a project since I have been hearing "I used to watch 'Ojamajo Doremi'" for a long time. As for the story, I wondered if it would be better to make people feel nostalgic when they see "Doremi" or not. Or should it be "not so nostalgic"? We had a lot of discussions about it.

Screenplay by Midori Kuriyama
I wrote the screenplays for the previous two films, but they were too short. So I am very happy to be able to depict a longer story this time. When I was working on the script, I wanted to make the best story, which led me to this film.

I heard that you also newly drew the character set pictures.
Yoshihiko Umakoshi, Character Designer and Chief Animation Director
I was very happy with the new drawings! Ojamajo Doremi," we completely redesigned the characters, and I have tried to recreate the lines of that time, so I hope that the audience will enjoy the new characters as well. Surprisingly, it had been many years since I had written anything, so I had time to have fun, and it didn't feel like it had been a long time.

What kind of children are each of the three in this film?
[Screenplay: Midori Kuriyama
Mire is a returnee and works for a prestigious trading company, but her own dreams have been fading away. However, she is a girl who started this girl's journey in pursuit of her dream once again.
Sora is in her fourth year of college. She is not sure about her career path and is thinking of becoming a teacher, but she has failed. In order to recover from that, she meets everyone and finds her own path.
Reika is from Onomichi and thinks she is "the unluckiest beautiful girl in the world. She has very bad luck with men (laugh).
She is a girl who has her own dream, but the other two girls give her the courage to go after that dream, and she goes after her dream.

Yoshihiko Umakoshi, Character Designer and Chief Animation Director
When creating the characters, I imagined Mire as a mix of Doremi and Aiko.
Sora is the closest to Doremi, and her atmosphere is completely Doremi.
Reika is a combination of Hazuki and Momoko.

Director Kamatani is not a staff member of the original series, but was there anything you kept in mind when creating the storyboards and directing this scene, which has a lot of "Ojamajo Doremi" style in it?
Director: Yu Kamatani
I think this film is for the fans of "Doremi," so I made sure to keep the "character" of "Doremi" in mind.

How do you divide the workload between the two directors?
Director: Junichi Sato
I don't know exactly how the work is divided, but basically, I sometimes watch over what Director Kamatani is doing. (Laughs)

Director: Yu Kamatani
I feel really comfortable having someone from the original series supervising me.

How is Director Kamatani from Director Sato's point of view?
Director: Junichi Sato
He is a marvel. She was not even a viewer of "Ojamajo Doremi" at the time, but in the past year, she has caught up with it very quickly. She may have already overtaken me, having created a work that has gotten this far [laughs].
Ms. Kamatani joined us for this film and clearly told me what she thought was good about what I thought was good and what today's young people think, and I have incorporated those opinions into this work.

I heard that Katsuragawa River and many other real places appear in the film. Are there any other places that will appear in the film?
Director: Junichi Sato, Yu Kamaya
Sato: We wanted to include a road movie element in this film, so we had everyone actually go on location scouting trips.
Kamatani: The three of us, including Akiko Nakamura, the animation director, went on a girl's trip to see various places and get inspiration. The location scouting was utilized and incorporated into this work.

You mentioned "magic balls" and "spells.
Producer: Hiromi Seki
In the work called "Doremi," there is no scene where the heroine transforms into a strong heroine and defeats the enemy, and there are no heroes or heroines. It was a work where everyone could have fun and laugh together. This work is also a work that will make you feel the same way.

~Closing message~.
Yoshihiko Umakoshi, Character Designer and Chief Animation Director
I hope that the audience will see this work not only with nostalgia but also with a fresh feeling. We are working reassuringly with excellent animators. Please look forward to the release of the film next year.

Screenplay by Midori Kuriyama
When I was making "Ojamajo Doremi" at the time, the main theme was to make a child who doesn't lose her temper. This time, I made a film with the theme of making adults who don't lose their temper. I hope everyone will come to the theater.

Director: Yu Kamaya
The main characters are different, but I believe that those who see this film will be able to remember them.

Director: Junichi Sato
This is a work that both those who have seen "Ojamajo Doremi" and those who have not can enjoy. The three characters introduced in the film are somewhat similar to myself, so please come and see the film next year.

Producer: Hiromi Seki
If you have ever wanted to be friends with them in the past, please watch this movie. We hope that those who have not seen "Ojamajo Doremi" can also enjoy this road movie of youth and experience the excitement with us on May 15 next year.

Event Summary
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Venue: Roppongi Hills Arena ( 6-9-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
・Speakers:
　Producer: Hiromi Seki
　Director: Junichi Sato, Yu Kamaya
　Screenplay : Midori Kuriyama
　Character Designer / Chief Animation Director : Yoshihiko Umakoshi

Film Information
Title: "Witch Apprentice wo Sagashite
Release Date: May 15, 2020 (Friday)
・Film official website：#
・Ojamajo Doremi 20th Anniversary Official Website：#
Ojamajo Doremi 20th Anniversary Twitter：#