Metropolis (2001)

Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.

Director:

Rintaro

Writers:

Osamu Tezuka (comic book), Katsuhiro Ôtomo (screenplay) (as Katsuhiro Ohtomo)

Stars:

Toshio Furukawa, Scott Weinger, Yuka Imoto

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yuka Imoto	...	Tima (voice)
Kei Kobayashi	...	Kenichi (voice)
Kôki Okada	...	Rock (voice)
Tarô Ishida	...	Duke Red (voice)
Kôsei Tomita	...	Hige-Oyaji (voice)
Norio Wakamoto	...	Pero (voice)
Junpei Takiguchi	...	Dr. Laughton (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Ponkotz (voice)
Masaru Ikeda	...	President Boon (voice)
Shun Yashiro	...	Notarlin (voice)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Skunk (voice)
Shigeru Chiba	...	Lamp (voice)
Masashi Ebara	...	Ham Egg (voice)
Takaya Hashi	...	Lyon (voice)
Norihiro Inoue	...	Atlas (voice)

Storyline

Metropolis is a visually stunning, rich, and memorable pleasure. It's contributors have brought us other classics such as Astroboy and Akira. The story takes place in the muti-leveled, fascinating, megalopolis called Metropolis. Metropolis is loosely ruled by Duke Red, who is close to presenting his ultimate work, an advanced AI robot girl named Tima. His son; however, is an opponent of AI and resents Tima. Tima finds herself deep within the labyrinth of Meteoplolis. She befriends the kind son of a police officer and begins exploring her new world. When Duke Red's son separates this new friendship, he puts much more at risk than anyone thought possible.

---

Plot Keywords:

robot | synthetic human | city | future | based on comic book | 

---

Taglines:

Welcome to Metropolis

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and images of destruction

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Sony

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese French German Italian Spanish English Russian

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,660, 27 January 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$636,830, 1 June 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, DENTSU Music And Entertainment, Destination Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Rintaro says that Osamu Tezuka probably wouldn't have let him make the film if Tezuka was still alive.

---

Goofs

Rock's costume disappears in the Throne of Power scene.

---

Quotes

Atlas: It's our emotions. They vibrate, and all we can do is move forward within that amplitude. But without affirming them, we can't survive.

---

Alternate Versions

At the very end of the Japanese theatrical version of the movie, after the credits, there is a photograph fortelling a happy ending for the two main characters. This photograph was cut in the US version.

---

Connections

Referenced in Monsters, Inc. (2001)

---

Soundtracks

St. James Infirmary
Words and Music by Irving Mills
Performed by Atsuki Kimura

User Reviews

In brief: powerful

In my short life I've developed a taste for a film that challenges me as a viewer and is more than the sum of it's parts. Metropolis is one such movie. While most will only give it credit for being a visual masterpiece, Metropolis is a well - rounded work with strong characters, themes and music. Not only does the character design have a fresh and captivating style, each character has his or hers own unique features. The setting is so rich and vibrant at times and dark and mysterious at others, it could only have been created through animation. The use of old western jazz and borderline ragtime music gives the huge city an earthy feeling, which is reflected in the architecture of the lower levels of the city. The themes are classic science fiction themes. I shy away from calling them derivative or repetitive because they still remain some of the most relevant ideas portrayed in any genre. Katsuhiro Otomo's screenplay is understated, contrasting the near "in your face" visuals. He is one of the most highly regarded writers in the genre, and he shows why here. The chilling ending is a destructive one, but it isn't the apocalyptic disaster some people make it out to be. The use of "Can't stop loving you" by Ray Charles frames the scene so well, and I found it far more moving and touching than the ending of Dr. Strangelove, which it is rightfully compared to. So, to all movie lovers, not just anime lovers, I ask you to go see this work of art and let it absorb you and change you. You will be better for it.