Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Astro Boy Review










Astro Boy


Release Date: 15th October 2009 – Australia


Production Companies
Imagi Animation Studios
Imagi Crystal
Summit Entertainment
Tezuka Productions

Distribution
Hoyts Distribution


Genre: Animation/Family/
Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 94 minutes


Budget: $65,000,000

Box Office Gross: $41,636,243 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Astro Boy is the story of
scientist Dr. Tenma, who
creates a young robot
called Astro Boy to
replace his lost son Toby.
Astro discovers
his incredible powers,
including rocket boosters,
armed laser cannons
and machine guns. Astro
embarks on a journey
when his father rejects
him because he is unlike
his real son. Astro flees
the floating Metro City to
the surface, where he
meets several companions,
including Cora and a dog
named Trashcan.

There is a conflict between
Astro and the Peacekeeper,
who is trying to steal the
energy-wielding Blue Core
from Astro, and they try to
destroy each other in Metro
City, causing much
destruction and mayhem.
Will Astro have what it
takes to bring down the
Peacekeeper with the
assistance of his
companions?


Voice Cast
Freddie Highmore – Astro
Boy/Toby Tenma
Nicolas Cage – Dr. Bill Tenma
Kristen Bell – Cora
Bill Nighy – Dr. Elefun/Robotsky
Donald Sutherland – President Stone
Samuel L. Jackson – Zog
Nathan Lane – Hamegg
Matt Lucas – Sparx
David Bowers – Mike the Fridge
Charlize Theron – 'Our Friends' Narrator
Eugene Levy – Orrin
Dee Bradley Baker – Trashcan
David Alan Grier – Mr. Squirt/
Math Cowboy/Boxer Robot
Alan Tudyk – Mr. Squeegee/Scrapheap
Head/Stinger Two
Newell Alexander – General Heckler
Moises Arias – Zane
Sterling Beaumon – Sludge
Madeline Carroll – Widget
Elle Fanning – Grace
Sofia Bowers – The Little Stinker
Nicole Fletcher – Oh No! Kid
Maryann Garger – Dr. Pigknuckle/
Newscaster (Cameo)
Tiffany Hillkurtz – Bride to Be (Cameo)
David Feiss – Cowboy Robot
Nicholas Guest – French Waiter Robot
Max Burkholder – Billy
Victor Bonavida – Sam
Steve Alterman – Press Secretary
Rif Hutton – Metro City Sergeant
Madeleine Russell – Metro City Girl
Pilar Flynn – Cora's Mom (Cameo)
Tony Matthews – Cora's Dad (Cameo)

Crew
Story/Writer/Director – David Bowers
"Astro Boy" Manga Creator – Osamu Tezuka
Writer – Timothy Harris
Additional Story Material – Colin Brady
Story Consultant – Michael Lachance
Executive Producers – Francis Kao,
Cecil Kramer, Ken Tsumura and Paul Wang
Line Producer – Pilar Flynn
Producer – Maryann Garger
Creative Consultants – Yoshihiro Shimizu
and Macoto Tezuka
Production Designer – Sam Michlap
Art Director – Jake Rowell
Head of Creative and Art – Felix Ip
Character Designer – Luis GranĂ©
Costume Designer – Jane Poole
Head of Story – Kevin Johnson
Production Managers – Sefine Leung,
Tony Matthews and Emerald Wong
Head of Animation – Tim Cheung
Animation Directors – Jakob Hjort Jensen
and Kim Ooi
Supervising Animators – Lai Lok Chau,
Szeto Fai, Grass Cho, Wong Joe,
Kenneth Leung and Phoenix Wong
Director of Photography – Pepe Valencia
Visual Effects Supervisor – Yan Chen
Film Editor – Robert Anich
Additional Editor – John Venzon
Second Editor – Tiffany Hillkurtz
Supervising Sound Editor – Richard L. Anderson
Sound Mixers – James Bolt and
Nerses Gezalyan
Re-Recording Mixer – Elliot Tyson
Music – John Ottman


Review
If I remember correctly, ASTRO BOY was on Cartoon Network, and it made a difference for me to discover it came from Japan. That's how the term "anime" popped into my head. I watched the 80s and 2003 series and became aware of their history when it was the turning point for manga and anime. At 17 years old, I was vacationing in Hervey Bay, Queensland, when I first saw the movie, and it is not like the source material its creator, the late Osamu Tezuka, had conceived decades ago. It is the last animated feature produced by Imagi Animation Studios, and it's a shame that the animation studio won't be able to make another film after ASTRO BOY, which flopped hard financially and may have closed down the studio.

While ASTRO BOY has the heart and action of the manga and anime TV series, the film iteration could have been better in live-action and in the 3D aspect rather than animation. It would have made for a more appealing visual display. It has a lot of charm, albeit with some chuckles. All that is missing in the movie is a soul and an engaging plot, which would make it work. I'm slightly disappointed that the filmmakers had altered Astro's age into a 13-year-old. The CG animation is alright but needs anime-like qualities seen in the Japanese show. The actors Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Bill Nighy and others were well-chosen for the character roles that they were portraying.

The film certainly doesn't come across as loyal to the anime series, but it has its own story than an actual adaptation. Overall, it is a good movie for all ages and fans who have grown up watching Astro Boy.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

2 comments:

  1. this movie is one of the best movies i have seen this year i agree with your point about the 3-D it would have been better more in a more lifelike form

    ReplyDelete
  2. iTS A GOOD MOVIE I LIKE THE PART WHERE HE SHOOTS MACHINE GUN OUT HIS BUTT

    ReplyDelete