Film

Dokidoki! Pretty Cure the Movie: Memories for the Future

Name: Dokidoki! Pretty Cure the Movie: Memories for the Future
Genre: Animation, Action, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
Released: 2013
Cast: Hitomi Nabatame, Minako Kotobuki, Mai Fuchigami, Kanako Miyamoto, Rie Kugimiya

Fantasy

A magical-girl action film that uses time travel and memory as its emotional core. Dokidoki Pretty Cure blends high-energy transformation sequences and combat with genuine tenderness about family and growing up. It's built for fans of the series but warm enough to welcome newcomers who like their animation colorful, their heroines resourceful, and their stakes personal rather than apocalyptic.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love a bright, earnest magical-girl adventure where friendship and nostalgia do the heavy lifting, and you enjoy action that reads more like dance-like colour than real menace.

Skip it if you're new to the franchise, since it assumes you already care about the team and its emotional beats land only if you know them.

What it asks of you: About seventy-two minutes, bouncy and bright, with a lot of colour and sincere speeches; it asks you to meet its feelings openly rather than wait for irony.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice1994

The template for magical-girl cinema. Gorgeous hand-drawn action, a villain motivated by loneliness rather than conquest, and the same balance of comedy and heart that makes Dokidoki sing.

But The pacing is 90s theatrical—slower than the TV show, which might test patience if you're used to modern animation's rhythm.

Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice poster

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie1999

Another masterpiece of the form. A schoolgirl solving magical mysteries with friends, beautiful character animation, and a plot that earns its emotional payoff without ever feeling manipulative or heavy.

But It assumes you know the characters and their dynamics already. New viewers will feel a little lost in the personal stakes.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020

Reinvented the magical-girl genre by asking hard questions about sacrifice and choice. Stunning visual direction, a score that haunts you, and a twist that recontextualizes everything.

But It's deliberately darker and more philosophical than Dokidoki. Some find the shift from cuteness to dread unsettling rather than brilliant.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dokidoki! Pretty Cure the Movie: Memories for the Future

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Wolf Children2012

Both use time, family memory, and a mother figure as the emotional engine. Both argue that the ordinary acts of love are more powerful than any spell.

A mother protecting her children across time, with animation so tender it breaks your heart. Like Dokidoki, it's about how we carry the people we love into the future. Miharu's love for her impossible family is the real magic.

But There are no transformations, no battles, no fantastical action. It's a quiet domestic story about sacrifice and letting go. Some find that devastating rather than thrilling.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018

Girls on an adventure, learning who they are and what they're capable of. Funny, earnest, gorgeously animated, and genuinely moving about friendship and self-doubt.

But It's a 12-episode series, not a quick film. And it trades magical action for emotional realism, which changes the entire texture.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica poster

Kill la Kill2013

Transformation sequences as rebellion. Over-the-top action that doubles as metaphor, gorgeous character design, and a story about refusing to be defined by others' expectations.

But It's genuinely wild and sexual in ways Dokidoki isn't. Some find it liberating; others find it exhausting or alienating.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time2006

Time travel handled with poetry instead of mechanics. A teenage girl discovers she can jump backward and learns that some moments matter more than others. Wistful and beautiful.

But It's contemplative and slow. If you're here for action and transformation sequences, this will feel like watching paint dry.

Carole & Tuesday2019

Both center on girls finding strength and identity through their bond with friends. Both use a fantastical setting (magical world vs. future Mars) to ask what it means to matter.

Two girls find each other on Mars and make music together. It has Pretty Cure's earnestness about friendship and self-discovery, but trades magical battles for the vulnerability of artistic creation. Gorgeous, hopeful, and genuinely moving.

But It's a 24-episode series about music, not action. Long stretches are dialogue-heavy and introspective. The sci-fi setting might feel like a distraction rather than a draw.