'Astro Boy': Family Fare or Fanboy Fave?

Fanboys and families alike should get ready for 'Astro Boy.' The Japanese anime icon -- apparently he's the Mickey Mouse of Japan -- is getting his first feature-length film. It's not out till Oct. 23, but we recently got a sneak peek. Though we won't speak for the manga-loving crowd, we can (and will!) say that in terms of kid appeal, 'Astro Boy' looks to be ready for his close-up.

You may already be familiar with Astro Boy and his side-spiked 'do, whether from the comic book that originated in 1951, the black-and-white TV show in '63, the reincarnations of the series, in '82 and again in '03 ... or at the very least, from hipster T-shirts or ironically iconic lunchboxes.

The movie is written and directed by David Bowers ('Flushed Away') and stars the voices of Freddie Highmore as the eponymous 'Boy,' Kristen Bell as Cora, a runaway he meets on his journey, and Nicolas Cage as his father, Dr. Tenma.

Tenma is a crucial player in the tale, which is like a junior superhero origin story crossed with 'Pinocchio' with a dash of creepy 'AI' thrown in -- not enough to traumatize kids, just enough to give it a bit of an edge. The doctor loses his son, Toby, in a lab accident and then obsessively creates a robot version to replace him (we hate it when that happens).

Astro, thinking he's a regular boy, freaks out when he discovers the truth and runs away to figure out where he fits in. Of course Astro won't get sprinkled with magic dust and turned into a "real boy" -- rather, he'll figure out that being a robot with super powers is actually pretty cool. (We don't think that's too much of a spoiler.)

Even if you've never seen Astro Boy in action, this new version should win over kids and parents alike; the studio behind it, a Japanese company called Imagi, is targeting the fanboys too. There's a presentation scheduled at the pinnacle of geek fests, this week's Comic-Con 2009, and the full-court press of the publicity machine is no doubt just getting revved up. So be on the lookout: Astro Boy will be zooming into our pop-culture consciousness once again. -- By Angie Argabrite


More 'Astro Boy' Video | 'Astro Boy' Preview on Cinematical