Astro Boy Movie in 3D

There have been some rumblings about this in the past, but now we know that it's true. The Astro Boy movie will be released in 3D!

If you have the special glasses, you can watch a trailer on YouTube. Notice the "Coming Soon in 3D" text that sets this trailer apart from previous ones.

You can read more about the 3D version of Astro Boy here and download the trailer for yourself (3D video player required). Informatuion about 3D Blu Ray home theaters can be found here. Big time thanks to Lisa Sapphire for sending me these links!

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Atom Phone

Check out this interesting but possibly bootleg phone made in the image of Astro Boy. The ATOM A520 looks like a toy, but is actually quite technologically advanced. It has cameras, bluetooth, a 1.5-inch screen, and can read MP3, MIDI, MP4, AVI, 3GP, JPG, GIF and TXT files.

I get the feeling that it's not an official product, but hey, points for trying.


Source: ChiniTech - Shanzhaiji

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Astro Movie now on DVD+Blu Ray in UK

The Astro Boy movie has been released on home video formats this week in the UK. Clearly, the UK release of the film has lagged behind the North American release by several months, both theatrically and at home, but for their patience it looks like the UK buyers get a special welcomed bonus. Unlike in North America, the UK release of the Astro Boy Blu Ray comes as a Blu Ray + DVD combo pack. Or Combi-Pack as they seem to say over there. Silly Brits.

The features seem to be exactly the same as the North American release, but I must say that I like the cover artwork much better. It's more based on the final movie poster and really has that great classic Astro Boy look to it with all the other characters and funny robots around him. The composition works suprisingly well and the critic's quote isn't nearly as obtrusive.

You can see a listing for it on Play.com UK.

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Best Cosplay Ever?

Anime North was great this past weekend. My panels were well attended and went smoothly. But one of the highlights for me was seeing this youngster cosplaying as Astro Boy. He's 3 years old and was quite enthusiastic to show his lasers. Pew Pew Pew! Too cute.

I think it's amazing that the first important anime character for everyone can be, even all these decades later, the first important anime character for anyone.

I asked his family if it would be OK to show pictures here on ABW so hopefully they will be happy to see this. This is one awesome kid who has an awesome family too.

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