"AstroBoy" - A thrilling tale of a true hero, "Astro Boy" is an all-new, full-length feature film full of action, adventure, humor and heart, brought to life on the big screen in breathtaking CGI 3D animation.
Set in futuristic Metro City, the movie "Astro Boy" is about a young robot with incredible powers. Powered by pure positive "blue" energy, "AstroBoy"(Freddie Highmore) is endowed (perhaps not in the way you're thinking) with super strength, X-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly... not to mention the purest spirit on the planet. Embarking on a journey across the planet to discover his powers, "Astro Boy" encounters a netherworld of robot gladiators and other comic characters, and learns the joys and emotions of being human. When he learns his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals all his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City, in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to embrace his place in the world.
Few animated characters have made as powerful or as lasting an impression on international popular culture as Astro Boy. The little robot first appeared in 1951 as a character in Osamu Tezuka’s legendary manga (Japanese comic book) and became an instant icon. In 1963, he starred in a black and white television series produced in Japan. With his large expressive eyes, Astro Boy became the standard for a new form of animation that has become world famous as anime. The original series also garnered a devoted following when it debuted in the U.S. that same year. Astro Boy continued to inspire fans in a 1982 television series, and then again in an American made series that debuted in 2003. Airing in 40 countries, including Japan and the U.S., this third series appeared on the WB and Cartoon Network, winning first place in its time slot for two years running. Tezuka has been honoured as both the “god of manga” and “father of anime,” and Astro Boy and his creator became such enormous celebrities in their native Japan that they even appeared on postage stamps. In 2004, Astro Boy was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame alongside Star Wars’ C3PO and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet. Astro Boy’s story, with its themes of displacement and the need to belong, touched director David Bowers. “Astro Boy is a timeless story in the tradition of Pinocchio or Oliver Twist,” he says. “It’s very Dickensian, but at the same time, it’s very modern. He is a child created to replace the son that a father has lost. The father comes to realize that the boy can’t truly replace his lost son. The boy, who thought he was a real kid, finds out he’s a robot, and from there his life just goes crazy.
“Thinking back to films I’ve loved and that have really influenced me over the years, I realized that the first movie I saw in a theatre was Pinocchio,” says Bowers, an animation veteran who previously directed Flushed Away for DreamWorks and Aardman Features. “My father took me to see it and it had an enormous impact. ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ makes me cry to this day.” Then, when he was researching Astro Boy, Bowers learned that Osamu Tezuka was highly influenced by the work of Walt Disney. “It was easy to see where Astro Boy came from. There are all sorts of similarities with Pinocchio—except he’s improved it with giant fighting robots!” Staying faithful to the original “Astro Boy” while updating its sensibility for a 21tst century audience was a central concern for everyone involved with the film, says Maryann Garger, the film’s producer. “Astro Boy is a national treasure in Japan. He is their Mickey Mouse. We wanted to create that same excitement and passion for the character in Western audiences. “I think viewers who know the character will see Astro Boy’s story in a way they haven’t seen it before,” she adds. “On the other hand, if you’re new to Astro Boy, it’s an incredibly emotional story. It’s sort of Pinocchio, but it’s also Star Wars. And it’s not just for kids. It’s for grownups, too, and hopefully moviegoers around the world will discover that.” Bowers is confident that long time fans will be happy with this updated Astro Boy.
“He is still the Astro Boy we know and love, except this is the first time on the big screen, so it’s a much bigger story. It has much more scope and much more scale, even in things like the emotional aspects of Astro Boy’s journey.” But while Astro Boy has a poignant side, the filmmakers have not skimped on the action—or the humour, says Bowers. “We have Astro Boy flying down the streets, cars blowing up, buildings collapsing. We have flying cities crashing to the ground. It’s heartwarming, but at the same time very exciting and very funny, too.” While Garger admits she did not grow up with Astro Boy, she says it was love at first sight. “His is a very enriching story, a wonderful emotional journey and a great, great character. It’s easy to understand how he became a worldwide icon.” Actor Freddie Highmore, who voices the pint sized superhero, points toward Astro Boy’s innate altruism as one reason for his enduring popularity. “He’s a real superhero in that he uses his powers for good,” says Highmore. “There are so many people in the world who are very clever or talented in some way. They usually use their gifts for their own benefit. Astro Boy never puts himself first. He goes to save the whole world. “Astro Boy is the individual who sets out to change the society,” the actor continues. “In our world, just like in his, there are so many rules and restrictions that make it hard for the individual to make a difference, but that’s what Astro Boy always tries to do.” The opportunity to direct Astro Boy was too good an opportunity for Bowers to pass up, he says. “My job, first and foremost, is to be a storyteller. I helped harness the creative energies of all these amazing people surrounding me to get the story out there as something that people can enjoy. I hope that it’s something that will be around for a while. If we can move people, if we can make people laugh and make people cry, then I think we’ve done our job. If we can excite them and have them at the edge of their seats, too, then we’ve done our job really well.” Putting together the best project possible meant assembling an all star creative team, says the director. “We managed to get these amazing talents to work on our film. Everybody was committed to making Astro Boy the most spectacular, fantastic, exciting and funniest film movie that we could possibly create.
The film is produced by Imagi Studios, a Hong Kong based animation studio with a creative development and production facility in Los Angeles and an office in Tokyo. The company's first major CG-animated theatrical movie, TMNT, was released domestically March 23, 2007 by Warner Bros. and opened No. 1 at the box office. “Imagi has all these great artists from around the world who are very passionate,” Bowers adds. “A lot of top creative people that I worked with at other studios are there, so it really felt like we were getting the band back together. I was thrilled to be reunited with Maryann Garger, who was the coproducer of Flushed Away.” Garger echoes his enthusiasm. “Imagi is especially exciting for me because we have an opportunity to help build the studio,” she says. “That was something I loved doing when I was at DreamWorks. Because Imagi is a startup studio, there’s a lot of artistic energy which translates to the screen. We have made a film that we’re very proud of that will compete in today’s global marketplace.”
The film’s screenplay is by Bowers and Timothy Harris, a seasoned writer whose credits include such hits as Trading Places and Kindergarten Cop as well as the blockbuster animated action comedy Space Jam. Bowers says that as a parent, he was particularly excited to be making Astro Boy. “My daughter is only two years old, but when I started sketching at home and thinking of ideas for Astro Boy, she asked me what it was. I told her and now, when I come home at night, I have to draw Astro Boy for my daughter. “When kids go to the movie theatre to see Astro Boy, I hope it will be an amazing experience for them,” the director says. “But when they come out of the movie theatre, I want that experience to expand into their everyday lives. That’s how Astro Boy is in Japan, and I’d love for it to be that in the United States.”
STARRING The Voices of: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Kristen Bell
DIRECTOR: David Bowers
STUDIO: Summit Entertainment
RATING: PG (For comic violence, language)
