Early Astro Movie Impressions: They Like it!

So, apparently, some lucky industry folks got an early glimpse at the upcoming Astro Boy animated movie from Imagi. From what I have gathered from a few different sources is that after being granted the opportunity to view a few clips of the film in progress, the buzz on the movie is looking extremely positive.

MTV Splash Page had this to say:

Fans should be pleased to know that Imagi’s take on “Astro Boy” is incredibly faithful to the various incarnations of the character of the years, right down to the “butt machine guns”. Extensive work has also been done by the Imagi artists to create accurate 3D versions of the 2D drawings and it’s safe to say that they’ve pulled it off; the look is Tezuka through and through.

And io9 sums up their experience with this:

Bottom line: the movie is about more than just cute robots and funny characters. The few clips we viewed were polished to perfection, and the original feel of Tezuka's series is intact. I really hope American kids learn to embrace this character because he's got the rocket boot-strappy know-how of a great hero. Plus who doesn't love that hair? So far so good, we can't wait to see more.

Neither site is offering any new images or video with their coverage, but there is some information about the clips they saw, including plot details and descriptions of some of the other robots in the film. Check out "'Astro Boy' Footage Preview: Behind The Scenes With Imagi Studios!" from MTV and "New Astro Boy Clips Explore The Metal Boy's Soul" from i09, but be warned, there are spoilers afoot! It's not too bad, but if you want to be totally surprised for when you actually see the movie, you might not want to read.

I'll say this much now. It really does seem that the Astro's blue power source is going to be an important part of the film's plot. It's not entirely the same as the more outwardly political issue of Astro's nuclear power in the original manga, but it could wind up being along the same lines, just disguised a little bit. I'm ok with that.

But what I really want to know is... what does it take for a guy like me to get invited to these things?