Astroboy Movie news

[Raph's Girl]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...aa6cdfd15bc7c4

Summit Entertainment will distribute Imagi Studios' computer-animated feature "Astro Boy" worldwide with the exception of Japan, Hong Kong and China.

Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy are on board to lend their voices. Freddie Highmore voices the title character.

Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy" manga has been the subject of three animated TV series spanning the past four decades and is a licensed property for merchandising.

David Bowers is directing the new feature from a screenplay by Timothy Harris. Set in futuristic Metro City, "Astro Boy" tells the story of a young robot created by a scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father's expectations, the robot embarks on a journey before he returns to save the city and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.

Maryann Garger is producing. A 2009 release is planned.

"Astro Boy" is Summit's second computer-animated feature from Imagi Studios; the first was last year's "TMNT."

[Ninjinister]

I'm assuming there are so many big-name actors because there's no Kevin Munroe on this project to put his foot down and insist on small-scale professional voice actors to play the big parts.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by The S

I'm assuming there are so many big-name actors because there's no Kevin Munroe on this project to put his foot down and insist on small-scale professional voice actors to play the big parts.

And because his higher ups were replaced by ex-Dreamworks people too.

I still want to see this, and I'm glad it's pressing forward....

but in all honesty... Eisner style ousting come to mind multiple times. Give someone who CARES about animation, not celebrity voices.

[Dragon Turtle]

Funny how Warners has quietly slipped out of the picture, did Warners get cold feet on distrubuting a movie based off another classic Tatsunoko property, after Speed Racer bombed at the boxoffice.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by Dragon Turtle

Funny how Warners has quietly slipped out of the picture, did Warners get cold feet on distrubuting a movie based off another classic Tatsunoko property, after Speed Racer bombed at the boxoffice.

Firstly, Astro was NOT a Tatsunoko property. maybge you're thinking of the similar looking Space Ace.

And secondly, WB wants out of animation completely, except for those DTV DC comics movies.

[Tinuvielsdreams]

Nicholas Cage really is in everything, and I wonder who Nathan Lane is going to be?
I am glad to hear an update on the film, this was one I was excited to see how it would be done.

[Dragon Turtle]

Originally Posted by Drtooth

Firstly, Astro was NOT a Tatsunoko property. maybge you're thinking of the similar looking Space Ace.

My mistake, I guess I'm just use to associating Astroboy with Gatchaman recently, but still I can't see Speed Racer's performance boosting Warners confidence in any old anime property, Tatsunoko or otherwise.

And secondly, WB wants out of animation completely, except for those DTV DC comics movies.

I don't see Warners getting out completely, especially out of the distribution of animated movies, you probably have "Happy Feet" to thank for that.

[Spitfire]

Nicolas Cage voice acting? He can't even act. Jesus, this should be interesting. He's really one of those actors who has zero range. Every movie he's in he's just Nicolas Cage. Zero personality, which seriously bothers me.

Oh well I don't have to watch it I just think it's funny he's lending his voice to it.

And secondly, WB wants out of animation completely, except for those DTV DC comics movies.

That's going to be quite hard with what they have under their belt after almost 80 years of being in the field. Unless you mean movies in which case I can see that. They've been getting stomped by Disney and Pixar so there's no point in even trying anymore.

[Drtooth]

Much as I like Nathan lane, I can't see him fitting into ANYWHERE in Astro-Boy. I could kind of sort of in my wildest imagination see him playing the Doc (the early dubs called him Dr. Elephant or something like that. I forgot his Japanese name). But other than something wildly cartoony and almost out of the style of the film, his voice just wouldn't be a good fit. Everyone else seems relatively characteristic.

Personally, Eugene would be better as Dr. Elephant.

That's going to be quite hard with what they have under their belt after almost 80 years of being in the field. Unless you mean movies in which case I can see that. They've been getting stomped by Disney and Pixar so there's no point in even trying anymore.

It's a report I heard a while back. Unless I misread it, WB animation is going through all this scrutiny right now due to poor decisions and gross mismangement. At the very least, they want to KILL their TV animation division. After mindless s**t like Loonatics Unleashed and Coconut Fred, it's almost no wonder. But it seems that once things started to get better (Tom and Jerry was a surprise hit on Saturday Mornings), they just decided to stop.

And I wouldn't be surprised if that carries into features too. Happy Feet may have been successful for them, but it's one in a long line of random companies knocking around Pixar and Dreamwork (and to a lesser extent, Blue Sky)'s business. Sooner or later the CGI bubble is gonna burst, due in part to oversaturization. The weaker companies will lose their CGI animation branches, and the stronger ones (Pixar, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky) will keep their leads.

But then again, maybe the Weinstine company FINALLY has enough heft to stand on its own feet, and they don't need Warners to help them. That would have been better news if the afforementioned management shake ups didn't endanger their chances of TMNT 2 (Imagi's, that is).

[Cure]

[DrSpengler]

Originally Posted by The S

I'm assuming there are so many big-name actors because there's no Kevin Munroe on this project to put his foot down and insist on small-scale professional voice actors to play the big parts.

Only to, you know, relegate all the non-big name stars to second tier credits and give the top credits to the guys who played bit parts with only a handful of lines but happened to be household names. Oh, and give them interviews on the DVD but snub the lesser name actors who played the main characters because who cares about them when you can hear Laurence Fishburne tell you what a Narrator is?

Yeah, that's something Munroe did which I always found fairly reprehensible.