This movie makes me sad...

[TasZero]

Sadly you can't please everyone. Am I'm not just saying this to back up my opinion of the movie (because I enjoyed it)

From the beginning the movie clearly had to be made for a mainstream audience of children. Astroboy is for children, and the movie reflects this. I watched the movie with a 6 year old, he enjoyed it because it was simple in its approach and he was part of the target audience.
I am at the very least glad they didn't downplay the tragic death of poor Toby, they didn't change that, he died, that to me is the most critical single idea in the entire franchise, we also got to see Tenma reject Astro and finally got to see Astro on a journey to discover who he is. Given the timeframe of the movie I think they achieved these basic stepping stones in the plot very well.

While I think darker and grittier would make the movie more enjoyable to me (and a few other people here) I didn't go into the movie expecting that. The children wouldn't enjoy it as much and likely wouldn't understand the messages being put across. If another series were made we could explore that, like 03 did but not within the timeframe of a movie.

Oh, and for the record, I think Astro looked plenty cute given he had to be done in 3d, I may be one of the few people here happy to say "I think the 3d artists did a good job." I personally think that if you made him any younger that he just wouldn't fit into the plot of the movie... let alone the plot of the deeper and darker story you were after.

PS: Opinions are great, they help us discuss stuff The site'd be no fun if everyone had the same dull opinion.

[Laughing Dragon]

everyone hates my opinion but i'll say it anyway. I hate the movie and found it to be a god-awful monstrosity and a disgrace to the little heros legacy in all respects. I was so disappointed after viewing it and even more disappointed that more people did not see it for the crap that it was. It was nothing more than your typical kiddie-flick, none of the deep storylines about extreme racial conflicts(blue knight) were there. instead we got "robots are slaves" then "oh no wait, robots are friends, happy-crappy ending for all!" . It was a dumb waste of time, imagi wanted to make a kids movie and they slapped astro's face on it to sucker his fans into going. the occasional hyoutan-tsugi and higeoyaji cameos did not make up for the crap that the movie was. People complain about astro not seeming cute enough in the 03 dub, so why is nobody as shocked as I am to see this awkward-muscle teen thing thats supposed to be astro. its just my opinion but I can't understand how nobody sees eye to eye on me with this. I want this movie buried and I personally have taken the stance to forget it ever happened.

Maybe you need to broaden your perspective a bit. I'm an Astro Boy fan and I enjoyed the movie immensely. It was much more than I expected. And it succeeded in giving Astro more personality than in any other animation he's ever been in. Heck, it gave him more personality than he ever had in the manga! But if you can't see that a direct translation from manga to film would have not have worked, then there's nothing anyone can say.

[Dragonrider1227]

I prefer the movie Astro over the '03 dub Astro because while not as cute as the Japanese version, the movie at least kept his character more intact and didn't try to turn him into a Naruto clone like the 2003 dub did. No raspy voice, no snarky attitude (though he DID crac some jokes, they seemed natural and less like they were trying to make him "hip) and thankfully not a single "Let's Rocket" escaped out of the kid's mouth. Moments like Astro's last words being "Don't be sorry. I only wish I could've been a better Toby" and actually calling Tenma "Dad" would never have flown with the '03 dub's attempt at a "hipper" cooler" "edgier" Astro Boy. My only issue with movie Astro was that his voice was a little deeper than I would've liked.
Could the movie have been better? Yeah but it runs circles around that god-awful Dragonball movie. And Speed Racer.

[TasZero]

Yeah but it runs circles around that god-awful Dragonball movie. And Speed Racer.

Truly horrible thought just crossed my mind. Live Action Astroboy... expensive and terrible. Makes me that much happier that it was all done by Imagi.

I agree, the inclusion of "Dad" and the exclusion of "Let's Rocket!" made plenty of people happy. However what do people think of "Onward and Upward."?

[Dragonrider1227]

Oh god, I forgot about that. Yeah, I think that movie is the sole reason they decided to make it animated. It proves that some things just have to be animated. Granted, in movie tech, we've come a long way since 1959, but just the same, I still don't think Astro would've translated well at all into Live action.
And I personally wasn't bothered by "Onward and Upward." It felt less like a catchphrase and more like he was simply quoting his Dad.

[TasZero]

Good, and good. I have only seen a couple of pictures of that live action.... thing..... and I am glad it is so buried in the past that very few people know it even exists. Though, to be fair, it could well have a great plot... but I wouldn't know about that.

[Alittleacorn]

I like the 'Onward and Upward' quote, was catchy when Toby sneaked off and changed around to be very emotional when Astro flew off to save his friends rather than abandon them. Although i dread the day someone gets the wrong end of the stick on that quote and makes a joke out of it. o_o;

Dude finally! I'm not the only one who can't stand that 'LETS ROCKET!' line from the 2003. I cringe everytime. @_@ their other attempt to make Astro seem older in that show.

I'm glad they choose 3D for the Astro Boy movie. though i'd love to see an anime move version make it onto the big screen, feels like an art we're leaving behind =(

Most likely Pluto will get a live action movie someday, I hear it's doing really well and if that's the case then Astro would appear in that. =D

[The Tawashi Bus Hat]

[QUOTE=Dragonrider1227;97869]Yeah but it runs circles around that god-awful Dragonball movie. And Speed Racer.

Truly horrible thought just crossed my mind. Live Action Astroboy... expensive and terrible. Makes me that much happier that it was all done by Imagi.

I agree, the inclusion of "Dad" and the exclusion of "Let's Rocket!" made plenty of people happy. However what do people think of "Onward and Upward."?[/QUOTE]

"Onward and Upward" is nowhere near being as awful as "Let's Rocket".

It also wasn't plastered all over the movie. (I think I heard it twice...three times maybe?) It was less of a catch phrase and more of one of those family mottos people have...

[jeffbert]

everyone hates my opinion but i'll say it anyway. I hate the movie and found it to be a god-awful monstrosity and a disgrace to the little heros legacy in all respects. I was so disappointed after viewing it and even more disappointed that more people did not see it for the crap that it was. It was nothing more than your typical kiddie-flick, none of the deep storylines about extreme racial conflicts(blue knight) were there.

I agree that the deep allegories were absent, but on the other hand, after the failure of the '03 series, I think they were careful to avoid such things. Perhaps they went too far to the other extreme, it might have been more popular with a bit of the racial metaphors.

[Dragonrider1227]

The way I see it though, the movie may have been light, but it's like an introductory to the character for a new audience and you don't want to give them too much at once. Too much angst and deep allegories may have turned them off. (On the other hand, I AM seeing kids under 12 watching Death Note. So who knows?) Anyway, the lighter tone offers a great way to introduce him to kids then kids start looking for more and find the other animes. I've already seen this happening in some places. Amusing story, I once was at a super market getting Groceries. Near checkout line, they have this rack of discount DVDs and the 2003 Astro Boy anime was there and I heard some kid go "ASTRO BOY!" I looked and saw him and another boy look at the DVD and one of them said "He's naked." XD