- Cast: Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Matt Lucas, Freddie Highmore, Sterling Beaumon, Madeline Carroll, Moises Arias, Victoria Bonavida, Tony Matthews
- Director: David Bowers
- Writers: Timothy Harris, David Bowers
- Producer: Maryann Garger
- Executive Producers: Francis Kao, Cecil Kramer, Ken Tsumura, Paul Wang
- Art Direction: Jake Rowell
- Casting: Linda Lamontagne
- Costume Design: Jane Poole
- D.O.P.: Pepe Valencia
- Editor: Robert Anich Cole
- Music: John Ottman
Storyline
"Astro Boy" was created by the "god of manga," Japan's Osamu Tezuka, in the early 1950s. The iconic character has since found wide popularity around the world as the hero of three acclaimed animated television series spanning the past four decades, besides being one of the top licensed properties for merchandising.
Set in futuristic Metro City, Imagi Studios' "Astro Boy" is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.
Basic Information
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- MPAA Warning: Some action and peril, and brief mild language
- Production Budget: $40 million
- Production Companies: Imagi Animation Studios, Imagi Crystal, Tezuka Production Company Ltd.
Featured Articles
Trivia
Colin Brady was originally attached to direct this film before being replaced by David Bowers.
The original cartoon of Astro Boy (or "Mighty Atom" in Japanese) was first seen on Japanese television from 1963 to 1966 as 'Astroboy (1963)' which is credited as the first anime cartoon. The character of Astro Boy first appeared in print as a manga in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka. Another Astro Boy series was remade in the 1980s and again in the 21st century.
Scarlett Johansson was set to voice Cora but was (for unknown reasons) replaced by Kristen Bell.
Towards the end of the teaser trailer we see a man in a red cap and glasses with a big nose as Astroboy flies by. This is the frequent self-caricature of Osamu Tezuka.
The Japanese release of the movie uses the original character model of Astro Boy, maintaining the original bodyform, facial features, and hairstyle rather than the updated character model. The differences can be noted in a comparison between the U.S. and Japanese trailers for the movie.
Entertainment news reports in late January, 2009 stated that production had appeared, at the time, to have shut down, possibly due to the recession.