Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron, Nathan Lane, Samuel Jackson, Donald Sutherland, and Eugene Levy star as the voices of the characters in Astro Boy. In doing so, they follow in the great tradition of gifted actors pe rforming as the voices of famous cartoon characters. This film is brilliant through and through and is the fourth extraordinary children’s film of the year. 2009 can officially be labeled the year of the animated film.
"Astro Boy" became a cartoon series in 1963. It has a long and distinguished reputation spanning the globe. It has been vamped and revamped in Asia and America. The latest iteration prior to the production of the film Astro Boy, arrived in 2004 in Japan. The storied history of Astro Boy himself is well-portrayed in the film. The characters live in Metro City, a futuristic metropolis above the clouds. On the surface below are discarded robot parts, scavengers and runaways without any other place to go. Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage) of the Ministry of Science, a department under the influence of President/General Stone (Donald Sutherland) is the father of our young hero Astro Boy. His son followed in his footsteps by easily demonstrated his academic brilliance in physics. Unfortunately, a tragic accident occurred while testing the new prototypes for renewable energy, blue and red matter, both antithetical opposites, both representing positive and negative forces. The young man was caught behind the glass shield and killed in front of Dr. Tenma’s very eyes. In a moment of nostalgic weakness, Dr. Tenma stole the blue energy source and harnessed the genetic remnants of his son to create the most sophisticated robot ever invented. The robot became known as ‘Astro Boy’. Heartbreakingly, Dr. Tenma soon realized the robot boy would not be identical to his son and would never grow up to become a man. He discarded Astro Boy who was forced to the surface (well below Metro City) to look for a new life and a new beginning. Astro Boy has magical robotic powers and still believed he was Dr. Tenma’s son. He never gave up hope or the ambition of regaining his father/creator’s trust and admiration. On the surface he helped robots develop courage and brought a giant robot back to life by sharing his energy, a boon that would be rewarded when it counted the most. His courage and willingness to save the entire city that turned its back on him has a valuable meaning. This is a children’s film throughout, but one that teaches everyone an important lesson about life. Fathers need to be careful about hurting their children’s feelings. There is a fine line between temporary disappointment and a permanent attitude of negativity. Disapproval can hurt a child’s feelings and cause serious issues such as loss and abandonment. Children meanwhile need to learn that being heroic and strong is never easy, but it is the true course to adulthood. Astro Boy’s incredible powers (flying, twirling, x-ray vision, withstanding powerful onslaughts, and loving) make this a special film with a tragic beginning followed by a feel good ending that will delight all audiences.
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