Astro Boy

Astro Boy (sometimes known as Astro Boy: The Movie) is a 2009 American 3D-animated movie made by Imagi Animation Studios featuring Astro Boy on an adventure to save the floating Metro City from the clutches of the evil President Stone and his evil Peacekeeper robot. Memorable characters from the Astro Boy series (such as Toby, Dr. Tenma and Dr. Elefun) appear alongside newer ones, such as Cora. It has a corresponding video game titled Astro Boy: The Video Game.

Notable Characters

FIXME Some of the notable characters include:

  • Astro (portrayed by Freddie Highmore)
  • Dr. Tenma (portrayed by Nicolas Cage)
  • Cora (portrayed by Kristen Bell)
  • President Stone (portrayed by Donald Sutherland)
  • Hamegg (portrayed by Nathan Lane)
  • Zog (portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson)
  • Toby (portrayed by Freddie Highmore)

Plot

The film is set in the futuristic Metro City, a metropolis which floats in the sky above the polluted “Surface”. Metro City's population are aided by a multitude of different robots who are dumped on the Surface when they are broken or disused. Toby, son of Dr. Bill Tenma, visits his father at the Ministry of Science but is neglected by Tenma as he demonstrates the Peacekeeper guardian robot to President Stone, the militaristic dictator of the city, who is running for a new term in his presidency. Doctor Elefun introduces Stone to the Blue Core and Red Core, which produce energy which can power robots via positive and negative energy, respectively. Stone likes the Red Core and places it in the Peacekeeper (despite warnings from Dr. Elefun and Dr. Tenma that the Red Core is dangerous), causing it to go out of control. It tries to disintegrate a force field placed between it and the humans, only for Toby to get trapped in with it and end up getting killed. Dr. Tenma and Dr. Elefun use the Blue Core to construct an identical robotic clone to Toby, using DNA from a strand of hair and his memories to make the robot think he is Toby.

However, Tenma quickly realizes the robot is not like his original son and rejects him. Unaware of this, Toby encounters two cleaning robots and discovers he can fly via rocket boosters hidden in his shoes. He overhears his father talking to Elefun about dismantling him. Toby goes into the room, asking Tenma why doesn't he love him anymore. Tenma reveals to Astro that he is a robot, and doesn't want him anymore. Astro is about to flee, but before he does, Dr. Elefun tells Astro that there must be a “place for him”. President Stone's men detect the Blue Core's energy signature and pursue Toby. After evading Stone's troops, Stone calls in the Spirit of Freedom: a massive, heavily-armed, flying battle robot. Rendered unconscious by a barrage of missile and laser fire, Toby falls off the floating city and lands in the junkyard below. He meets several children including Cora, a girl who left Metro City after her parents neglected her, and a robotic dog named Trashcan. Toby also is kidnapped and meets the communist Robot Revolution members: Sparx, Robotsky and Mike the Fridge, who identify him as a robot and rename him as Astro. Astro goes along with his new name and lives with the children as a human, and their fatherly figure, Hamegg, who appears to fix broken robots, but runs the Robot Games: destructive gladiatorial matches in which losing robots are destroyed. Astro and company find an offline construction robot named Zog, and Astro secretly uses the energy of the Blue Core to revive Zog. Hamegg realizes Astro is a robot and pits him against other robots in the Robot Games, including Zog, but both refuse to fight one another. Stone and his men arrive, arresting Astro. The cruel Stone mockingly offers a “drink” of machine oil to the captive Astro.

Astro is taken to the Ministry of Science, where Tenma is asked to remove the Blue Core; however, in the last moment, he has a change of heart and allows Astro to escape. Stone impatiently places the Red Core into the Peacekeeper again, only for it to absorb him and take on his consciousness. Astro and the Peacekeeper fight across the city, demolishing most of the buildings and causing the city to land on the ground. Only Astro's quick and courageous action prevents the city from being totally destroyed. Cora, the other children, and the Robot Revolution try to help to bring down the Peacekeeper-Stone fusion. The Peacekeeper catches Astro and is about to absorb him, but he later lets Astro out, due to pain. Astro lands in a building, where he reunites with Tenma. Astro asks his father why the Peacekeeper didn't absorb him. Tenma answers him saying that if the Blue Core and Red Core come together, Astro and the Peacekeeper will both die, and tells Astro that they must get far away. But Astro refuses, realizing this was the reason he was made, and flies straight toward the Peacekeeper causing a big explosion which destroys the Peacekeeper and frees Stone. Cora, Dr. Elefun and others find Astro's body. Zog arrives and per Elefun's suggestion, transfers some of his energy to Astro, reviving him. Astro is reunited with Dr. Tenma, and Cora makes up with her parents. Meanwhile, Stone wakes up, only to be arrested by his own troops, much to his dismay. Suddenly, an alien lifeform appears over the city and the movie ends with Astro flying up to battle it.

Astro Boy Original Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the 2009 feature film was composed by John Ottman. It was released October 20, 2009 by Varese Sarabande Records.

Track list

  1. Opening Theme
  2. Astro Flies!
  3. Start it Up
  4. Morning Lessons
  5. Blue Core Pursuit
  6. Designing Toby
  7. I Don't Want You
  8. One of Us / Meeting Trashcan
  9. I Love Robots / Hamegg's Story
  10. The RRF / New Friends
  11. Reviving Zog
  12. Reluctant Warrior
  13. Cora's Call
  14. Undercover Robots
  15. Egg on Hamegg
  16. Toby's Destiny
  17. Saving Metro City
  18. Final Sacrifice
  19. Robot Humanity
  20. Theme from Astro Boy
  21. “Robots Are Our Friends” Infomercial

Video Game