Happy Halloween

How's this for a scary costume? It comes from the 60's, naturally.


Yes, all kids want to dress up as Astro Boy wearing a shirt with his own picture on it, and have the figure in the picture wearing a blue jumpsuit like Superman for some reason, and have the jumpsuit have his name written on it to further the point home. Marketing genius.

Picture found on John K.'s blog. Yes, THE John K. of Ren & Stimpy Fame.

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New Imagi Interview with David Bowers

Imagi has updated their website with a great interview with Astro Boy animated movie director David Bowers. It's got some great info about David's history in the animation business how he is handling the task of bringing this anime-icon to the big screen in CG. You can find it by clicking on the "What's New" section. I can't copy the whole text since it's displayed in Flash, but here's a short quote:

"I want Astro Boy to be a really special movie, a mix of action-adventure with lots of comedy and a really emotional story at its core. It's an iconic property and deserves respect, so I don't want to give it the glib, pop-referential treatment that so many animated movies have today. Instead I want it to stand as a classic superhero origin story, something befitting the icon of Astro Boy, kind of along the lines of Richard Donner's Superman. I want it to serve as an introduction to Astro Boy for western audiences whilst remaining faithful to the lore of Asian audiences. Astro Boy is a treasured icon in Japan and so I'm working closely with the Tezuka estate to ensure I get everything right."

Sounds like they got the right guy for the job. Plus his sideburns are almost as cool as mine, so he's got that going for him too.

Best of all, at the very bottom of the interview is this incredible Astro Boy image!


WOW. If that's what the movie is going to look like, it's going to be absolutely fantastic. That looks amazing and I can't wait to see more.

Thanks to Al for the tip!

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One Year From Now!

As of yesterday, We are one year away from the current release date for the upcoming animated Astro Boy movie from Imagi. Are you excited yet?

To celebrate, I made a special custom countdown clock, ticking away every last second until October 23rd, 2009 finally arrives. You can add this widget to your own blog or website thanks to Spring Widgets by clicking this link.

Once the movie has been out for awhile I'll probably replace this with a counter to the home video release, whenever that is.

Imagi's own Felix Ip posts on his blog that a party was recently held to celebrate 50% completion of the Astro Boy movie's total pre-production. Here's a photo:


Looks like fun! What sort of secrets can be found in there? Check out Felix's post here. Hey, how about inviting me next time?

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Astro Statue loves the Earth.

Here is a very cool story coming out of the Ikeda Elementary School in Ikeda City, Osaka, Japan. This is the school that Osamu Tezuka attended as a child. To honor him, the school has unveiled a new statue of Astro Boy embracing the world. Perfectly exhibiting Tezuka's philosophies toward life, the statue has an English inscription that says "I love the earth and all creatures on it". A plaque on the base of the statue reads "I love all living things that inhabit this earth. I want to take care of life. I want to bequeath this love to the next generation." This statue commemorates both the 100th anniversary of the school on November 1st, as well as the 80th anniversary of Tezuka's birthday on November 3rd.

Click the image below for a huge picture of the statue.


And here is a picture of what looks like a library table, featuring the Phoenix.


Source: Anime News Network - Sankei Sports

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Mecha's Master

The folks at Fantasy.fr have conducted an excellent interview with the legendary Go Nagai, creator of notable manga and anime franchises such as Mazinger Z, Devilman, and Cutie Honey. He talks about his influences and mentions the importance that the work of Osamu Teuzka has had on his career. It was originally written in French, but an English translation is also available.

It's a great read so check out Go Nagai : Mecha's Master on Fantasy.fr.

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Matt Lucas joins Astro Boy movie Cast.

There has been a bit of a news drought here after that big burst of activity last month, but now we've got another confirmed cast member for the upcoming CG animated Astro Boy movie.

Imagi Studios U.S President Erin Corbett has announced that British comedian Matt Lucas is on board. He is well known for his role in the BBC comedy Little Britain and has won numorous BAFTA awards. The part he will be playing is not yet disclosed.

Thanks to Coming Soon for the scoop! Also check out Imagi's own press release (PDF), which confirms the casting of Kristen Bell as well.

Stay tuned for more!

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