Kristen Bell Movie:

Editorial Review:
Are heroes born or made? How does one go about finding one's true destiny? Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage), a revered scientist on the floating paradise known as Metro City, has recently created a technologically advanced robot in the image of his late son Toby in an effort to assuage his overwhelming grief. Far from an average robot, his creation (Freddie Highmore) is a thinking, feeling robot endowed with the memories and emotions of the real Toby and powered by a unique blue core energy recently discovered by Dr. Tenma's good friend Dr. Elefun (Bill Nighy). Despite his efforts, Dr. Tenma quickly discovers that his new creation will never replace his human son, and he coldly casts him aside. Being a thinking, feeling robot, the robot boy sets off in search of a place where he might fit in, and his journey lands him below Metro City, on the surface of the wasteland known as Earth, where he is befriended first by a trio of rebellious robots who dub him Astro Boy and later by a group of human orphans led by the robot repairman Dr. Hamegg (Nathan Lane). Although Astro Boy fully intends to confess his robotic origins to the humans, circumstances prevent the disclosure, and his first real friendships are tainted by the underlying deception. Meanwhile, back in Metro City, President Stone (Donald Sutherland) launches a campaign to destroy Astro Boy in an effort to steal the blue core energy and use it with its opposing and very unstable red core energy to guarantee his reelection. In the end, Astro Boy's real ancestry comes to light, and his relationships with the humans and his very existence are threatened. It also falls to Astro Boy to save Metro City from certain destruction at the hands of President Stone. Based on the 1950s Japanese manga and the 1960s Astro Boy Japanese animated television series commonly credited as the first anime cartoon, Astro Boy is an engaging, action-packed film about self-discovery and pursuing one's destiny. While there's a healthy amount of violence and peril in the film, it's generally appropriate for ages 7 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Astro Boy [Theatrical Release] Reviews:
A delightful, heartwarming and unforgettable film
2009-12-25 - The movie "Astro Boy" is a delight to the eye, mind and heart. The production design is especially enjoyable; from the futuristic Art Deco architecture of the floating Metro City to the open, expressive innocence of Astro's face, the film gives the viewer a pleasing visual palette unsurpassed even by Pixar. The action sequences are top-notch and inspire excitement and exhilaration, especially when Astro takes his first flight into open sky. The voice actors were well-chosen and give moving performances: Nick Cage as the grieving, conflicted Dr. Tenma and Freddie Highmore as the courageous, put-upon misfit Astro are standouts, while Kristen Bell as Astro's human friend Cora lends the character the perfect balance between tough and tender; as a happy result, Cora's confusion when she discovers her new friend is a robot, and her eventual resolve to love him just the same, are emotional high points of the film. But the most significant achievement is the movie's ability to wring the heart of its viewers. Astro inspires our sympathies with his struggles, and our cheers when he finally proves his worth. He is easily the successor to another wronged cinematic hero, Simba of The Lion King. Suffice it to say, this film deserved far more attention and praise than it got; it's easily one of the best animated films of 2009. I've seen it at the theater several times; seen, over and over, the delighted reaction to the film from children and their parents; and I would willingly see it again. And I can't wait to buy it on DVD.

Adventures of the Robot Kid
2009-11-11 - While owing much to the themes presented in films like "WALL-E," "Pinocchio," and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" (the last two essentially being the same thing), "Astro Boy" is nonetheless an exhilarating, mature, emotional, and visually splendid animated film, successfully relying on a basic plot with heroes, villains, and morals. Its target audience is children, although I suspect they won't get much out of the social and political subtexts - save, maybe, for the idea that everyone should be treated equally even if some of them aren't human. They will, however, respond to the film's look, especially during the action scenes. They may also enjoy a few select moments of comedy relief, such as when the title character realizes that he has machine guns built into his rear end.

Adapted from the Japanese manga series created by Osamu Tezuka, "Astro Boy" begins with a pleasant-sounding public service announcement (provided by Charlize Theron) for Metro City, a floating futuristic metropolis where robots do all the menial things people no longer want to do. Far below them, Earth has become a wasteland of discarded robot parts, some of which are still quite usable. Living contentedly in Metro City is Toby Tenma (voiced by Freddie Highmore), a teenage genius who understands advanced physics and can rewire robots in a snap. His father, the equally brilliant Dr. Tenma (voiced by Nicholas Cage), has discovered two powerful sources of energy, one a blue core that thrives on good energy, the other a red core that thrives on evil energy. (The political implications of this are none too subtle, but it's probably best to not get into that.)

When Toby is vaporized in a demonstration gone wrong, Dr. Tenma takes it upon himself build a super advanced robotic replica, made possible thanks to a single strand of hair, a databank of Toby's memories, and the blue core of positive energy. When the new Toby activates, he discovers that his feet are equipped with rocket boosters, which enables him to fly majestically through over, around, and below Metro City. He also faces both the rejection of Dr. Tenma, who can't get past the fact that the real Toby is dead, and the wrath of President Stone (voiced by Donald Sutherland), a power hungry warmonger whose chances of being reelected depend on the blue core implanted in Toby's chest.

Both factors bring Toby to the Earth's surface, where he meets a group of lost children led by the duplicitous Hamegg (voiced by Nathan Lane), a character not at all unlike Fagin from "Oliver Twist." On Earth, it seems, robots are enslaved and forced to participate in brutal death matches. And much like the Flesh Fair audience in "A.I.," no one really cares what happens to the robots because they're not actual people and only programmed to exhibit emotions. This, of course, is true, yet we're meant to see Toby in the same light as little David, or more fittingly, Pinocchio - a miraculously living being in search of his destiny. The thing is, Pinocchio's birth was the result of magic, not technology, so it's much easier to regard him as a sympathetic character. In retrospect, it seems a bit strange that Toby could have relatable thoughts and feelings.

But if there's one thing movies like this are good at, it's making the audience see past such things. In the moment, we're distracted by the innate desire for the good guy to win and the bad guy to lose, and in spite of his mechanical abilities, Toby is obviously the good guy here. Another thing movies like this are good at is making the action scenes spectacular; select moments are as visually creative as a well-made summer blockbuster, with high-flying camera angles, intense stunts, and stunning special effects, all of which are exciting yet not so loud or fast paced that they become assaulting. I especially enjoyed a shot of Toby digging his way underground with lightning-quick movements of his arms. In order to see, his eyes essentially become flashlights.

The general look of the film is extraordinary. Metro City in particular reminded me of the magnificent City of Tomorrow settings seen on the covers of old time pulp magazines. The characters look more or less like drawings from a manga graphic novel, especially the title character, whose expressive eyes and distinctive two spikes of hair are wonderfully cartoonish.

It just becomes a matter of story, which in this case isn't bad but also isn't particularly original. I was, however, taken by certain individual scenes, such as when Toby and his new friend, Cora (Kristen Bell), look up at the stars while straining to have an honest conversation. I also greatly enjoyed appearances by a trio of robots who operate a kind of radical civil rights organization, one that reminded me, strangely enough, of the Judean People's Front from "Monty Python's Life of Brian." And while the more emotional moments between Toby and Dr. Tenma are hardly groundbreaking, they're also undeniably touching. "Astro Boy" is by no means an unaccomplished film, but given the complexity typically exhibited in robot stories, I guess I expected it to accomplish even more.