Just wanted to say how much I loved the Astro Boy movie by Imagi. I was a bit doubtful when I went to see it...but oh, my, was I ever floored by what I saw. I didn't expect the movie to be so beautifully animated (as showbiz trade magazine Variety stated, "its stunning visuals were as close to Pixar's as you could get"), to have such great voice acting (especially Freddie Highmore as Astro!), and to have such...heart. I laughed, but I also cried, and it's been a long time any film, much less an animated film, made me do that. I've seen it multiple times (if it were still at my local cinema, I'd probably be watching it right now), and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. So much was done right on this movie, and it's a great shame more people didn't give it a chance. I think Summit really let the movie down with tepid advertising (did the trailers for it really make much sense?) and the awful release date...right before Halloween, and in competition with the much-higher-profile "Where The Wild Things Are". This movie deserved better. As I've read on the 'net, Summit has a rep for not being able to promote their movies well. Only Twilight has done really well for them, and heck, how much publicity does THAT pop-culture phenom really need?
Anyway, if a sequel is made, I hope and pray that Imagi retains at least Freddie Highmore as Astro. He gave such a great performance and really brought Astro to life in a way that no production prior to the film's release ever managed to do. I'm not a huge fan of Freddie's (I barely knew who he was when I saw the film), but he was excellent, and to me, he IS Astro. And while some have knocked Nic Cage's performance as Tenma (mostly because of some kind of weird Cage hate - ???) I think he was magnificent. He really captured Tenma's inner turmoil and grief. And I really liked Cora! She was just the right balance of tough/tender...and she was a refreshing departure from the usual strong-female-lead type, which is all too often inserted into in a work of fiction for political correctness' sake. But she played an important role in establishing Astro's struggle for acceptance. Plus she and Astro make a cute couple. And I suppose Hamegg woudn't appear in a sequel...except as a bid for revenge?...but it'd be a shame to miss out on more of Nathan Lane's lovably slimeball performance. Really, the only character I DON'T want back is President Stone...he was the weakest of the characters, at least when he became too much of a political caricature. The political overtones of the film, in fact, were its only liability - they really really didn't need to be there IMO. But overall this film is a crown jewel. Everyone I know who's seen it - including those who went on my recommendation - have unreservedly loved it. Their kids too, and I got more than one report that the kids were riveted to the screen throughout the movie, a rare thing. My best friends kids, twins, both say they want to BE Astro Boy! Well, heaven knows, there are worse role models out there...
Anyway, thanks for letting me rave. I just love this movie. My favorite film this year, hands down.
I'm glad you liked the movie. Overall most us did like it or at least some/most aspects of it. You may like to read our other movie threads if you haven't already.
