Watch Astro Boy Online

“Astro Boy” plays like “Transformers” for tots, a “Pinocchio” story that stays true to its source material’s storied past without adding much in the way of interest, outside of some clankingly obvious political subtext that will alienate people of all stripes.

The kiddie superhero first appeared more than a half-century ago in Osamu Tezuka’s manga series and has been subsequently featured in a number of popular Japanese television series, most famously in a black-and-white, 1963 incarnation regarded as ground zero for anime.

Director David Bowers, an Aardman Animations vet who co-wrote the movie with Timothy Hyde Harris (“Space Jam”), nicely blends Eastern and Western animation styles for this CG outing, giving the movie a zippy, retro style that’s nicely in tune with its Space Age origins.

The soft colors and shiny surfaces help mitigate a story that’s at its best when it lets its images do the talking. A clever opening prologue introduces the floating metropolis of Metro City, which hovers over a garbage-strewn Earth still inhabited by unfortunate “surface-dwellers” and not just Wall-E ‘bots.

Scientist superstar Dr. Tenma ( Nicolas Cage in a bit of vocal miscasting) has always been more of a virtual dad than the real thing to his prodigy son Toby (Freddie Highmore). When Toby is taken from him, a guilt-ridden Tenma builds a duplicate, super-powered robot in his place. But then Tenma loses heart and, after a run-in with Metro City’s warmongering president ( Donald Sutherland), Robot Toby, a.k.a. Astro Boy, finds himself cast downward to Earth.

The movie’s middle section drags as Astro Boy meets a bunch of Our Gang misfits, kvetches about feeling alienated and hangs out with some wacky robot revolutionaries, mildly amusing in their Marxist leanings. Less appealing is the villainous president’s nefarious desire to mix Astro Boy’s positive “blue” energy with unstable, evil “red” energy and create a “Peacekeeper” robot that can start a war and help him win re-election.

A little on-the-nose, don’t you think?

Astro Boy is a computer animated film that was based on the Japanese franchise Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka. You can watch Astro Boy online to enjoy this tale of a young robot rejected by his human father. Astro Boy sets off on his own to search for a place where he can be accepted.

Astro Boy is directed by David Bowers (director of Flushed Away) and stars Freddie Highmore as the voice of the title character. While you won’t see Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, or Eugene Levy when you watch Astro Boy online, theirs are some of the voices you’ll hear, in addition to Nathan Lane, Matt Lucas, and Donald Sutherland.

The setting of Astro Boy is a futuristic metropolis called Metro City. The young robot named Astro Boy has incredible powers that were given to him by his creator Dr. Tenma. Tenma has created Astro Boy in the image of the son he lost. But Astro Boy is unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations. Rejected, he leaves to find a place in the world where he can be accepted.

Astro Boy joins a group of unruly kids whose leader’s name is Cora. He journeys to an underground world of robot gladiators led by evil ring master Ham Egg. Eventually Astro Boy realizes he must return to Metro City. There he tries to reconcile with his father/creator.

The cast and their characters are: Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy, Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma, Kristen Bell as Cora, Charlize Theron as the Our Friends Narragtor, Samuel L. Jackson as Zog, Bill Nighy as Dr. Elefun, Donald Sutherland as President Stone, Eugene Levy as Orrin, Nathan Lane as Ham Egg, Moises Arias as Zane, Matt Lucas as Sparx, Madeline Carroll as Widget, Sterling Beaumon as Sludge, and Victor Bonavida as Sam.

That’s the kind of star power that gets behind a really good flick. Over the past decade, animation has shown that it is a medium that is more than just a “children’s” medium. Increasing sophistication of plot, art, and computer animation techniques have turned it mainstream.

Watch Astro Boy online to enjoy this visual and narrative feast.

Astro Boy Online Movie Review

Astro Boy originated in Japanese comics in 1951 and has starred in several TV series there and in the U.S. Astro Boy’s new movie, which has been many years in the making, is exciting and sweet. The visual effects of computer animation get better and better, and the big Hollywood names that voice the characters. The filmmakers have allowed the story to shine, but the animation artists have really gone all out in a triumphant visual spectacle.

The story is of a grieving father, voiced by Nicolas Cage, who builds a robot, Astro Boy, also called Toby, that looks just like his son who died. But he’s unable to accept the robot/boy. AstroBoy leaves his home in Metro City in search of someplace he will fit in. You will witness all this struggle when you watch Astroy Boy online. Since he has been given super powers, he is quite strong, with fire-powered legs and front and back guns that let him blast through rock.

We learn through voice-over narration that in Metro City the robots take care of every human task, like cooking, cleaning, shopping, and reminding us to call our mothers. The humans have isolated themselves to the extent that they have to be reminded they’re human.

Astro Boy goes on an odyssey of sorts, trying to find where he belongs. Eventually, however, he realizes that Metro City needs him to save it. He has to return, but will he reconcile with his father?

Freddie Highmore, the voice of Astro Boy/Toby does his job very well, and Nicolas Cage is just right as his dad. Nathan Lane as Ham Egg and Eugene Levy as Orrin are terrific. There’s an adorable scene where the barking trash can robot tries to spill Astro Boy’s secret.

Screenwriter Timothy Harris also was responsible for the movies Kindergarten Cop and Twins, and delivers a solid script here. The special effects are, as I mentioned before, really impressive, and make Astro Boy a great movie suitable for all ages and this is why you and your whole family should watch Astroy Boy.

Watch Astro Boy Trailer Online

If you watch Astro Boy online, you’ll get a glimpse of a futuristic, electronic Pinocchio story. Astro Boy has been around since the 1950s, the creation of a Japanese graphic artist Osamu Tezuka, also known as “The God of Manga.” The movie has been anticipated for many years now, as previous production projects fell through.

However, the cast in this movie may make it worth the wait. Astro Boy is voiced by Freddie Highmore, and other voice talent in the movie include Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Kristen Bell, and Charlize Theron. Astro Boy is computer animation at its finest, and the story – a robot boy, rejected by his father and creator. The robot, Astro Boy, goes on a long journey of self discovery only to return home to reconcile with him. Along the way he meets some characters that the average parent wouldn’t approve of.

Watch the Astro Boy Trailer online to get a taste of this sweet, classic story.