Tue Sep 23, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

'Astro Boy' Zips onto 3000 Screens

CG-Animated Film Boasts Big Name Voice Cast

Astro Boy was the first Japanese cartoon brought to America and paved the way for all other anime and Manga that followed.  Created for Japanese comics in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka, the robot took flight in 193 animated episodes beginning in 1959.  Some 103 were translated into English for American television and played throughout the 1960s as Astro Boy since NBC executives thought Mighty Atom; the more literal translation was too generic.

Ever since, he has remained an icon of Japanese culture and has been revived numerous times. Imagi Studios is producing a CGI version of  Astro Boy and Summit Entertainment has announced that it will open on October 23, 2009, on a whopping will 3,000 North American.

With a release of this scope, it’s no surprise that the movie will be supported with a plethora of merchandise such as toys, games, and books. 

The new film, directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away) from a screenplay by Timothy Harris (Places), features Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) as the voice of Astro Boy, along with Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Nicolas Cage and Donald Sutherland. 
 

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