Look out: after an auspicious debut with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated movie, Hong Kong's Imagi Studios are throwing down the gauntlet with Astro Boy to say that in terms of technical animation skill and artistry they deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the big players in the industry. Are they Pixar quality? No, not yet but Blue Sky or Dreamworks? You bet. Imagi easily matches their technical chops while also crafting a story with more heart than either of those production houses have managed yet.
Adapted from the long running anime series of the same name, Astro Boy is a remarkably faithful updating of the classic characters created by Osamu Tezuka. Director David Bowers was handed a project with an enormous legacy here, one that he is very clearly aware of and deeply respects. Though clearly charged with updating the series with current themes and stories, Bowers finds ways of doing so that remain completely in synch with the Tezuka original while also holding on to the archetypal character designs and overall look and feel of the original creation. Despite the move to CG animation, Astro still feels like Astro and there'd be no mistaking Dr Elefun's nose anywhere.
A classic origin story, Astro Boy begins as the story of Toby, a brilliant young boy being raised by the single father he adores but seldom sees thanks to Dad's work as the national science minister in their floating city-state. Floating? Yes, you see when the world became so polluted that it was scarcely livable the 'best and brightest' of human society simply built their perfect utopia on the side of a mountain and blasted the entire mountain into the air using giant engines and in the air it remains, far above the filth and grime of the world below. Their every need is tended to by robots, robots largely created by Toby's father Dr Tenma.
But while Tenma's work appears helpful and benificent on the surface there is always a dark side and in this future world - as in ours - helpful research exists largely on the back of military work, work which Tenma is also heavily embroiled within. And when the curious Toby sneaks in to the first test of one of Tenma's new creations the results are tragic. Destroyed by grief, Tenma turns to what he has always turned to: his work. He decides to create a replacement for his son, an exact robotic duplicate. Embedded with Toby's memories this robot will not even be aware that it is not human except ... well, except Tenma always does and finding the robot more a reminder of his dead son than a replacement for him he sends the confused robot away ...
And so begins the story of Astro Boy, the incredibly powerful robot blessed with the pure spirit of a human child who must find his own way in a world divided by rigid class structures, a world where he is hunted by forces that want his strength for military ends, a world where he fits in with neither human nor robot kind. And in the end he will save them both.
Gorgeously realized and loaded with action, Astro Boy is a fantastic piece of popcorn entertainment for the young. The character retains all the charm that it has always had, Astro himself providing pure escapist fantasies for boys who wish they could fly all around the world while also delivering a message or two along the way. Bowers work looks absolutely fantastic on the big screen and certainly deserves far better than the middle of the pack opening weekend that it received.
That said, there are some obvious issues keeping it from widespread acceptance and, no, I don't mean the basis in what is very definitely a niche character. The script, for one, is not up to standard. While the massive success of Up proved that children are more than capable of embracing films that deal directly with the complicated issues of death and grief, Astro Boy's treatment of those themes come off remarkably simplistic and trite. The relationship between Tenma and Toby / Astro never really comes together in anything more than a cursory way, which seems a real missed opportunity. The 'politicians will do anything to stay in power' subplot is also remarkably shallow. To stay on the Pixar front, many of Astro Boy's other themes - particularly the notes on environmental responsibility - are far too close to issues already raised in similar context to better effect in Wall*E. Compounding the issue is that the producers opted to go for star power above all else in the voice casting and some of their choices simply do not work. Nicolas Cage never engages as Tenma, nor does Kristen Bell as Cora while Freddy Highmore stays locked within a very narrow range of emotion as Toby / Astro.
That said, when things work, they work spectacularly well. The use of Matt Lucas and Sterling Beaumon to anchor the comedic trio of the film - the third member hardly speaks - was inspired and every moment the three robotic revolutionaries are on screen positively shine. And while Donald Sutherland was significantly less than impressive in human form as the aforementioned scrambling politician, well ... let's just say he gets one heck of a finale.
Though uneven Astro Boy is very entertaining and a big advancement over the already strong Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now bring on Imagi's Gatchaman.
Adapted from the long running anime series of the same name, Astro Boy is a remarkably faithful updating of the classic characters created by Osamu Tezuka. Director David Bowers was handed a project with an enormous legacy here, one that he is very clearly aware of and deeply respects. Though clearly charged with updating the series with current themes and stories, Bowers finds ways of doing so that remain completely in synch with the Tezuka original while also holding on to the archetypal character designs and overall look and feel of the original creation. Despite the move to CG animation, Astro still feels like Astro and there'd be no mistaking Dr Elefun's nose anywhere.
A classic origin story, Astro Boy begins as the story of Toby, a brilliant young boy being raised by the single father he adores but seldom sees thanks to Dad's work as the national science minister in their floating city-state. Floating? Yes, you see when the world became so polluted that it was scarcely livable the 'best and brightest' of human society simply built their perfect utopia on the side of a mountain and blasted the entire mountain into the air using giant engines and in the air it remains, far above the filth and grime of the world below. Their every need is tended to by robots, robots largely created by Toby's father Dr Tenma.
But while Tenma's work appears helpful and benificent on the surface there is always a dark side and in this future world - as in ours - helpful research exists largely on the back of military work, work which Tenma is also heavily embroiled within. And when the curious Toby sneaks in to the first test of one of Tenma's new creations the results are tragic. Destroyed by grief, Tenma turns to what he has always turned to: his work. He decides to create a replacement for his son, an exact robotic duplicate. Embedded with Toby's memories this robot will not even be aware that it is not human except ... well, except Tenma always does and finding the robot more a reminder of his dead son than a replacement for him he sends the confused robot away ...
And so begins the story of Astro Boy, the incredibly powerful robot blessed with the pure spirit of a human child who must find his own way in a world divided by rigid class structures, a world where he is hunted by forces that want his strength for military ends, a world where he fits in with neither human nor robot kind. And in the end he will save them both.
Gorgeously realized and loaded with action, Astro Boy is a fantastic piece of popcorn entertainment for the young. The character retains all the charm that it has always had, Astro himself providing pure escapist fantasies for boys who wish they could fly all around the world while also delivering a message or two along the way. Bowers work looks absolutely fantastic on the big screen and certainly deserves far better than the middle of the pack opening weekend that it received.
That said, there are some obvious issues keeping it from widespread acceptance and, no, I don't mean the basis in what is very definitely a niche character. The script, for one, is not up to standard. While the massive success of Up proved that children are more than capable of embracing films that deal directly with the complicated issues of death and grief, Astro Boy's treatment of those themes come off remarkably simplistic and trite. The relationship between Tenma and Toby / Astro never really comes together in anything more than a cursory way, which seems a real missed opportunity. The 'politicians will do anything to stay in power' subplot is also remarkably shallow. To stay on the Pixar front, many of Astro Boy's other themes - particularly the notes on environmental responsibility - are far too close to issues already raised in similar context to better effect in Wall*E. Compounding the issue is that the producers opted to go for star power above all else in the voice casting and some of their choices simply do not work. Nicolas Cage never engages as Tenma, nor does Kristen Bell as Cora while Freddy Highmore stays locked within a very narrow range of emotion as Toby / Astro.
That said, when things work, they work spectacularly well. The use of Matt Lucas and Sterling Beaumon to anchor the comedic trio of the film - the third member hardly speaks - was inspired and every moment the three robotic revolutionaries are on screen positively shine. And while Donald Sutherland was significantly less than impressive in human form as the aforementioned scrambling politician, well ... let's just say he gets one heck of a finale.
Though uneven Astro Boy is very entertaining and a big advancement over the already strong Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Now bring on Imagi's Gatchaman.