'80s, '03 or '09 Astro

[MightyAstro]

So do I. He'd be over 80 today and he died when he was only 60. Too early we lost him.

[Androids101]

Astro should write a speech on Osamu Tezuka.

[Astronomical girl]

his last words were "please let me work" that tell you something about him...he loved his life

[AprilSeven]

Very interesting thread!!

My “favorite”? It’s a toss-up between the original 60’s anime/manga and the movie characterization of him (Although I find things to really enjoy in every incarnation).

I think, if Dr. Tezuka were alive today, he would have “updated” Astro’s technology (blue core – not a bad idea), and he expressed in his manga (where he communicated with the readers) his desire to “age” Astro a bit, and how people preferred it if he were drawn like a younger child (this was a source of frustration for him).

I also have a feeling he would have embraced the CGI – not because it’s cheaper (which, truth be told, is the REAL reason it’s used so much) – but because it is a new tool for creative expression. Look at how he improved the quality of the 80’s anime over the 60’s anime.

Tezuka’s characters don’t really lend themselves to CGI – but I have a feeling he would have spent the time and money to “make it happen” convincingly. And THAT would have elevated CGI to another level.

I’ve shared on this forum before that my husband is an illustrator, and he works in some of the programs used for CGI films. He’s attempted to get some work from a few of the animation studios, and the story is the same everywhere – they tend to use “interns” (young people still in school or just graduated) and then hire them at a much lower rate than an experienced illustrator. Much of the “bad CGI” is simply because the people creating it are not all that experienced and/or good at basic drawing skills. The studios don’t want to pay for that quality anymore.

The 2009 movie certainly has its flaws, but I thought it was a LOT better than much of what’s out there. I think some of the changes were not well-conceived (like the floating Metro City).

[Astronomical girl]

that would be a dream my dear

[Astro Boy2866]

If only the movie did better in the box office, because the sequel probably would have been a lot better.
I can imagine that if they made a sequel, they would make an enemy much more powerful than the peacekeeper, but without the red core, that would do some serious damage to Astro which would add a lot more action to the movie.

[Astro Boy2866]

And for me I'm stuck in the middle of either the '03 or '09 Astro Boy, it's hard to choose, but I'm leaning towards the older Astro. I just kinda like the more mature version of Astro.

[Dr. Jerk]

The 2009 movie certainly has its flaws, but I thought it was a LOT better than much of what’s out there.

This. Maybe that is why the 2009 movie was enjoyable for the least to me, because it was better than a lot of other CGI movies out there. And of course, certainly much better than Dragonball Evolution and Speed Racer. <_<

Most CGI films here are usually things that revolve around a 'quick adventure' with humor just thrown in just because, and it's getting old fast. Shrek and Toy Story were probably the only ones that did it right and continued to do it right.

[Androids101]

However I believe that Tezuka won't update his Astro. I don't think he'll appreciate the movie, how they changed Astro like that, how they made it completely different from his original creation. But when "transferring" Anime to CGI (and 2D to 3D) you must change some things, even ImagI admitted it. They shouldn't have changed Astro's power source either. And I also completely agree with Dr. Jerk, they just "throw in" the humour but you don't need humour for children to believe that it is a good film.

[MightyAstro]

Sometimes the humour just goes over the heads of kids. Adults can understand it better. Depends on what kind of jokes they use and the ages of each kid.