Suchîmubôi (2004)

In 1860s Britain, a boy inventor finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance in steam power.

Director:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo (as Katsuhiro Ohtomo)

Writers:

Sadayuki Murai, Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Patrick Stewart, Alfred Molina

3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Anne Suzuki	...	James Ray Steam (voice)
Masane Tsukayama	...	Eddî Suchîmu-hakase (voice)
Katsuo Nakamura	...	Dr. Lloyd Steam (voice)
Manami Konishi	...	Scarlett O'Hara (voice)
Kiyoshi Kodama	...	Robert Stephenson (voice)
Ikki Sawamura	...	David (voice)
Susumu Terajima	...	Freddie (voice)
Osamu Saka	...	Army General (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rosalind Ayres	...	(voice)
Mark Bramhall	...	Alfred Smith (voice)
Oliver Cotton	...	Robert Stephenson (voice)
Robin Atkin Downes	...	David (voice)
William Hootkins	...	(voice)
Peter Lavin	...	(voice)
David S. Lee	...	Jason (voice)

Storyline

Rei is a young inventor living in the U.K. in the middle of the 19th century. Shortly before the first ever World Expo, a marvelous invention called the "Steam Ball", behind which a menacing power is hidden, arrives at his door from his grandfather Roid in the U.S. Meanwhile the nefarious Ohara Foundation has sent men to acquire theSteam Ball so that they can use its power towards their own illicit ends.

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Plot Keywords:

steam | ball | inventor | 19th century | boy | 

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

17 July 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Steamboy

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 2,127,519,898 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,034 (Hong Kong) (15 July 2005)

Gross:

$2,034 (Hong Kong) (15 July 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, Steamboy Committee, Studio 4°C

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 103 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A new record for the most expensive Japanese animated film. It cost about ¥2.1 billion (US$20 million) to make.

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Quotes

Dr. Lloyd Steam: And what would men do with this new technology? Plunge the world into war and chaos?
Dr. Eddie Steam: But that very chaos would transform us. the heart adapts to reality.
Dr. Lloyd Steam: [Points a gun at Eddie] But the heart comes first, Eddie!

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Crazy Credits

Under the end credits, images of future events in the lives of the characters are shown.

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Connections

References Coronation Street (1960)

User Reviews

Otomo raises the bar again!

Akira kick started anime in the West, and even today it is still a stunning movie on every level. Now so many years later Otomo is back in the director's chair with a new masterpiece.

The animation quality is extraordinary, you will never have seen anything like this before. Imagine the most impressive animated sequences from Akira - Testuo raising Akira from beneath Tokyo Stadium

• and expand upon them greatly and you will have some idea just how

mind blowing this film's animation is. It surpasses even Innocence and Appleseed.

The story is interesting, with none of the clear Hollywood evil/good character definitions. Otomo keeps the audience guessing who the hero Ray Steam will decide to side with. It's a fantastic old fashioned adventure too, packed with incredibly inventive ideas and concepts.

One to see for sure. I haven't seen the heavily cut US version, certainly the unedited Japanese version was perfectly timed so I can't imagine how or why anyone would want to trim even a minute of it. Hopefully when it comes to DVD in the US and Europe it will be available in it's original, utterly amazing form. Otomo, welcome back!