You know Astro Boy, right? Ok, so he hasn't exactly been the biggest thing here in the United States, but he's influenced science fiction and animation since 1952. Let's think about that for a second. Astro Boy has been around for 57 years, and still, most of us have never seen or heard of him before. This little robot is Japan's equivalent of Mickey Mouse, and though most people have seen his image before, they wouldn't be able to tell you his name, origin, or what it is that he does. Imagi Animation intends for that to change.
Coming out this October 23, right before Halloween, a new CG animated version of Astro Boy is going to hit American screens. While the animation style has changed, and the look of the characters has been modified, Astro Boy's most important traits are all there, respectful to their roots and engaging enough for a new audience.
With Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma, Astro Boy's creator, and Donald Sutherland as President Stone, the main bad guy of the film, you can see that there is some star power at play with the voice talent. Freddie Highmore is the titular hero and Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy and Bill Nighy also star. While some things have changed, the overall origin for Astro himself has remained fairly faithful to the original.
Dr. Tenma has lost his son and is consumed by it to the point that he endeavors to build an exact replica of him. Thanks to genetic memory his able to use a hair follicle to reproduce his memories in an identical looking robot. Unfortunately, Tenma comes to the conclusion that even though he has been able to produce something that looks and acts a lot like his son, he'll never be able to replace him. He rejects Astro Boy and you can't help but feel pretty damn bad for the robo kid. The premise is fairly sad enough, but Astro Boy is a "take it on the chin" kind of guy. He keeps going and winds up learning how to use his new body and saves people, fights giant robots, and well... you get the idea.
At the presentation I attended, they showed us a few scenes that get these ideas across very well, but what stood out to me most was how this was all blended with great humor. With tons of jokes and hilarious moments taking place in the background, a very American comedy flavor is prevalent, even though this is being written and directed by a British man, and it is based on a Japanese franchise. These moments gave a great balance to the sometimes sad story and very big action that Astro Boy includes. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the whole thing. While I don't think it will wind up making the the kinds of dollars that some expect from a major family oriented CG release, if it is able to keep it's weekend to itself it stands a very good chance of getting the right eyeballs it looks to deserve.
