Astro Boy featured voices of Freddie Highmore (Astro Boy), Kristen Bell (Cora), Nicolas Cage (Dr. Tenma), Samuel L. Jackson (Zog), Donald Sutherland (President Stone), Eugene Levy (Orrin), and Charlize Theron (narrator).

When Astro Boy rolled on the screen, nostalgia kicked in.  The opening sequence reminded me of the Jetsons though.  It’s a slight cue that we’re not in Japan anymore.  Then the familiar figure of Toby comes into the picture and we learn how Astro Boy came to be.  It deviated from the original anime but the story was well-made and it kept the audience entertained.

Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore): I was made ready.

The Westernized version of Astro Boy tackled complex issues such as robotics and yet you know it’s directed at the kids.  The characters were not two dimensional with some lingering in the gray side.  One thing missing from the movie is the anime’s classic theme.  But fanboys will surely recognize Osamu Tezuka’s animated self in this Astro Boy version.

The re-imagination of Astro Boy didn’t stick to the original story but it worked.  This is the Astro Boy of this generation.  The movie introduces him to the young ones and hopefully will influence them into watching the original anime series.