Astro Boy (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Astro Boy |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | David Bowers |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Story by | David Bowers |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Ottman |
| Cinematography | Pepe Valencia |
| Editing by | Robert Anich |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | Summit Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | October 8, 2009 (Hong Kong) October 10, 2009 (Japan) October 23, 2009 (United States) |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $65 million |
| Money made | $42 million |
Astro Boy is a 2009 computer-animated superhero film. It is based on the famous Japanese manga series called Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka. The movie was made by Imagi Animation Studios in Hong Kong. David Bowers directed it and also helped write the story. Many well-known actors lent their voices to the characters, including Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, and Nicolas Cage.
The film was first shown in Hong Kong on October 8, 2009. It came out in the United States on October 23, 2009. The movie got mixed reviews from critics. It also did not earn much money compared to its budget. Because of this, Imagi Animation Studios closed down on February 5, 2010. Astro Boy became the last film they ever produced.
Contents
Story of Astro Boy
Toby Becomes Astro
The movie starts with a teenager named Toby Tenma. He lives in a cool floating city called Metro City. Below Metro City, the Earth's surface is very polluted. Toby's dad, Dr. Tenma, is a brilliant scientist. He works with Dr. Elefun at the Ministry of Science.
They create a powerful robot called the Peacekeeper. This robot uses two special energy cores: a Blue Core and a Red Core. The Blue Core has positive energy, and the Red Core has negative energy. The President of Metro City, Stone, wants to use the Peacekeeper for his re-election campaign.
President Stone ignores warnings and puts the negative Red Core into the Peacekeeper. This makes the robot very aggressive. Sadly, Toby is accidentally killed by the Peacekeeper during this event. Dr. Elefun manages to stop the Peacekeeper.
A New Beginning
Dr. Tenma is heartbroken by Toby's death. He decides to build a robot copy of Toby. This robot has all of Toby's memories. It also has special defenses built into its body. The robot is powered by the Blue Core.
When the robot activates, it believes it is Toby. It has Toby's mind and personality. But Dr. Tenma realizes that this robot can never truly replace his lost son. The robot Toby soon discovers his amazing powers. He can understand other robots. He can also fly using rockets in his feet.
President Stone's forces try to capture robot Toby. During a chase, Toby falls off the edge of Metro City. Meanwhile, Dr. Tenma avoids arrest. He agrees to turn off Toby and give up the Blue Core.
Life on the Surface
Toby wakes up in a huge junkyard. This place is full of old, discarded robots from Metro City. He meets a group of kids who live there: Zane, Sludge, Widget, and Cora. They have a robot dog named Trashcan.
Toby also meets the Robot Revolutionary Front (RRF). This group includes Sparx, Robotsky, and Mike the Fridge. They want to free robots from human control. But they are not very good at it. They are also bound by the Laws of Robotics. The RRF renames Toby "Astro."
A man named Hamegg takes care of the orphaned children. He takes Astro in. The next day, Astro finds an old construction robot named Zog. Zog is offline. Astro shares some of his Blue Core energy with Zog. This brings Zog back to life.
Astro's Fight
Hamegg scans Astro and finds out he is a robot. Hamegg then uses an electrical blaster to paralyze Astro. He wants to make Astro fight in his robot fighting ring. Astro does not want to fight. He reluctantly defeats Hamegg's other robots.
Then, Zog is sent into the ring. Astro and Zog refuse to fight each other. Hamegg tries to disable them both. But Zog, who is very old, fights back. Zog almost hurts Hamegg badly. Astro saves Hamegg, which surprises everyone.
Soon after, President Stone's forces arrive. They want to take Astro back to Metro City. Astro willingly gives himself up. He reunites with Dr. Tenma and Dr. Elefun. Astro allows them to try and turn him off.
Saving Metro City
Dr. Tenma realizes that even though Astro is not Toby, he is still his son. Dr. Tenma defies President Stone. He reactivates Astro and helps him escape. President Stone is furious. He puts the Red Core back into the Peacekeeper. He sends it after Astro.
But the Peacekeeper absorbs President Stone and merges with him. The Peacekeeper starts absorbing weapons and buildings. It becomes huge and powerful. It attacks Metro City. Astro bravely battles the giant Peacekeeper.
During the fight, Metro City's power station is destroyed. This causes the city to start falling. Astro uses his amazing strength to help the city land safely.
The Peacekeeper tries to absorb Astro to get his Blue Core. But the connection between the Blue and Red cores causes a huge reaction. The cores separate. Dr. Tenma tells Astro that the two cores together can destroy each other.
The Peacekeeper captures Astro's friends from the junkyard. Astro flies into the Red Core, sacrificing himself to destroy it. President Stone survives the explosion. He is arrested for his actions.
Dr. Elefun and the children find Astro's body. Zog reactivates Astro by sharing back the Blue Core energy. This was the same energy Astro used to reactivate Zog earlier. Astro reunites with all his friends and his father. At the end, a huge alien monster attacks the city. Astro punches it and leaps into action to save the day again!
Characters and Voice Actors
- Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy and Toby Tenma. Astro is a robot copy of Toby, Dr. Tenma's son.
- Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma. He is Toby's father and Astro's creator. He is also the head of Metro City's Ministry of Science.
- Kristen Bell as Cora. She is a teenage girl who lives on the surface and becomes Astro's friend.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Zog. He is a very old construction robot. Astro brings him back to life with his Blue Core energy.
- Matt Lucas as Sparx. He is the leader of the Robot Revolutionary Front.
- Eugene Levy as Orrin. He is Dr. Tenma's robot servant.
- Bill Nighy as Dr. Elefun. He is Dr. Tenma's best friend and helper. He also voices Robotsky, who is the strong member of the Robot Revolutionary Front.
- Donald Sutherland as President Stone. He is the tough and ambitious President of Metro City.
- Nathan Lane as Hamegg. He lives on the surface. He fixes robots and uses them in his fighting tournaments.
- Charlize Theron as the "Our Friends" narrator. This is the voice for an educational video at the start of the film.
- David Bowers as Mike the Fridge. He is a talking refrigerator and another member of the Robot Revolutionary Front.
- Moisés Arias as Zane. He is one of the children living on the surface.
- Alan Tudyk as Mr. Squeegee. He is a cleaning robot that Astro meets.
- David Alan Grier as Mr. Squirt. Another cleaning robot Astro meets.
- Madeline Carroll as Widget. She is Sludge's twin sister.
- Sterling Beaumon as Sludge. He is Widget's twin brother.
- Dee Bradley Baker as Trashcan. He is a robot dog who eats rubbish.
- Elle Fanning as Grace. She is a girl from Hamegg's house.
- Ryan Stiles as Mr. Mustachio. He is Toby's teacher.
- Newell Alexander as General Heckler. He is President Stone's second-in-command.
- Victor Bonavida as Sam. A teenage boy from Hamegg's house.
- Tony Matthews as Cora's dad.
- Bob Logan as Stinger One. He is President Stone's pilot.
- Ryan Ochoa as Rick. Another teenage boy from Hamegg's house.
Images for kids
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Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell promoting the film at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.
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Image of Toby and ZOG in early prerelease footage
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See also
In Spanish: Astro Boy (película) para niños
