Did You Know?
The character of Astro Boy first appeared in print as a manga in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka. This manga was adopted into the TV shows Astroboy, Astroboy and Astro Boy.
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A man in a red cap and glasses with a big nose appears in almost subliminal cameos throughout the film. This is the frequent self-caricature of Osamu Tezuka.
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The Japanese release of the movie uses the original character model of Astro Boy, maintaining the original bodyform, facial features, and hairstyle rather than the updated character model. The differences can be noted in a comparison between the U.S. and Japanese trailers for the movie.
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Entertainment news reports in late January, 2009 stated that production had appeared, at the time, to have shut down, possibly due to the recession.
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As Astro Boy is under construction, the blueprint plan briefly seen has been drawn exactly as the character appears in the original Astroboy television series.
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In 1999, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased the film rights to Astro Boy from Osamu Tezuka Productions, intending to produce a combination live-action/animatronics/CGI feature film alongside Jim Henson Productions originally slated for a Christmas 2000 release, with Eric Leighton (Dinosaur) attached to direct. This came to no result, and in June 2004, Leighton was replaced with accomplished animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack) with a scheduled 2007 release. However, some time after this announcement was made, Tartakovsky left the film to produce The Dark Crystal's sequel, The Power of the Dark Crystal, also for Jim Henson Productions.
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In the Japanese version, Megumi Hayashibara was the only one who provided voice work for an Astro Boy anime.
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Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" are referenced a few times throughout the film. They are first mentioned when the RRF are introducing themselves to Astro. The laws, paraphrased, are as follows: 1) A robot may not harm a human being, or through inaction, allow a human to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey orders given it by a human being, as long as doing so does not conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not interfere with the First or Second Law.
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In summer 2006 the Hong Kong animation firm Imagi Animation Studios picked up the property as part of a three picture deal with Warner Brothers that also included TMNT. Colin Brady was attached to direct. When Summit Entertainment took over the distribution rights in 2008, Brady had been replaced as director by David Bowers.
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Initially Imagi Animation Studios wanted to redesign the shape of Astro Boy's face to make him look a little bit more grown-up. Tezuka Productions objected to such changes. Eventually a compromise was achieved whereby Astro Boy's face was only slightly altered to make him look a little more adult.
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The film was not a success in Japan, opening at the bottom end of the top 10 films of that week. Conversely, it broke box office records for a CGI animated movie in China, in much the same way that two other US produced Japanese based films had done. Both Dragonball: Evolution and Speed Racer had tanked in Japan but went on to be hugely successful in China.
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Astroboy is called by his title name only by Hamegg, and only twice throughout the entire movie. Otherwise he's called Astro, Toby, Robot Boy, or Boy Robot.
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Samuel L. Jackson only speaks 11 words in the entire movie: "I'm old school", "Not just people", "The blue stuff", and "No biggy".
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WILHELM SCREAM: From one of the people, when Peacekeeper is chasing Astro after hitting him with a building.
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