Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Movie audiences in Japan are often forced to wait months to see the big international blockbusters, but the locals finally got one ahead of the rest of the world when "Astro Boy" made its international premiere here on Oct 10.
During a trip to Tokyo to promote the film’s release, director David Bowers and producer Maryann Garger seemed optimistic about the movie’s success in Japan, despite being a Hollywood reinterpretation.
“I knew that it was a special Japanese property, and that we had to be very careful of preserving the lore,” Garger said. Bowers agreed, though the director added that he did make a conscious effort to modernize the look and feel of the film.
"I wanted it to have the same sort of impact that the original manga had when it was published,” he said. “Of course, the stuff looks a little retro and kitsch now, but at the time when it was published, it was absolutely cutting-edge and modern and very, very fresh.”
The filmmakers looked to Japan for the cityscape and background designs as well, drawing inspiration from the work of ukiyo-e master Hokusai and architect Isamu Noguchi.
Despite Astro Boy being so firmly rooted in Japan, Bowers and Garger believe the iconic story will have worldwide appeal. “I hope that people who aren’t familiar with it will see the movie and then be inspired to go back and read the manga,” Bowers said.
© Metropolis magazine
10 Comments
Login to comment
KallyPygous
It isn't a Hollywood film, the production company, Imagi Animation Studios, is Hong Kong based and all the animation was done there.
Antonios_M
Hollywood/ Hong Kong based Astro Boy??? Thanks but no, thanks!
borscht
Good point, KallyPygous. What is a "Hollywood" film but a film financed by the Hollywood money people or, perhaps, distributed by the major distributors - Paramount, Universal, et al. Although Lions Gate is based in Canada, can it be considered a Hollywood distributor. Most of Star Wars, for instance, was not filmed in the US, nor were many of the major players and extras even American.
More on topic, is Astro Boy even going to be an international blockbuster? Or just another flick? (Blockbuster meaning it made a ton of money.)
cow76
The only thing I've heard about the movie is that it's boring. Would watch it otherwise but it just seems to be dull.
kokorocloud
I still want to see it kind of. I wonder if it's any better or about the same as the Speed Racer movie... which I didn't see, but I didn't hear stellar reviews on it either.
Disillusioned
All the reviews I've read about this film point towards it being a good cure for insomnia.
pathat
Hollywood has a long history of screwing up things Japanese.
NeoJamal
Surely, they can't fall to the level of:
ASTRO ASTRO
ROCK THE ASTRO
ASTRO BOY ZEEE
jason6
I remember when some HK company with HK actors made Initial D. Embarrassment.
telecasterplayer
Wow.. after hollywood did such an awesome job with Godzilla and Speed Racer, this is destined to be great! Oh wait, what's the opposite of "great"..?