Product Details

• Actors: Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Summit Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 16, 2010
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001PR0Y7Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,268 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Astro Boy" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Features include:

•MPAA Rating: PG
•Format: DVD
•Runtime: 94 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AstroBoy is back for a whole new generation!, January 28, 2010

By 

V. Arreola "BincePK" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Astro Boy (DVD)

Astroboy is an interesting movie. I went and saw this movie a few days after it released in theatres. I kinda remember the cartoon as a kid and this helped to relive those memories. Astroboy is a robot that has superpowers and uses them to save people and the world.

Astroboy is a character that dates back to the 1950's when it was created by Osamu Tezuka. Astro is really well known in Japan and there were several of the cartoon series came here to the United States.

The movie follows the story pretty well but at the same time adds a few new things here and there to not just be a copy and paste kind of story.


There are some spoilers ahead:.......





In the manga (or comic) and now Movie is a boy named Toby who dies in an accident and his father Dr. Tenma builds a robot to be just like Toby. The scene may scare some children that are really young but personally they did it tastefully and there are no gory scenes or anything. (For the parents you see a bright flash and his hat is lying on the ground). Alot of parents were upset by this however many movies made by Disney and so forth have had characters die in their movies constantly but people still praise them.

I suppose since it is a young boy they feel that it should not occur but the producers of the film wanted to keep the orgin of Astro as close as possible.



The movie was pretty well done. There's some drama in along with action and that was pretty good. It helped lead into the action sequences instead of being non-stop action or drama. I liked this film since it was something everyone could enjoy. I went with my mom, dad, and 7 year old niece. She really enjoyed it and the whole family wants it on DVD and blu-ray. I do not remember any bad language as well.
I feel that if people gave Astroboy a chance they will enjoy it. We've watched many kids films like Kung Fu Panda, Monsters Vs Aliens, and so on recently and this was one we all could watch no problem.


The movie looks great but in this day and age it is hard to compete with kids films since many come along on a constant basis. I really enjoy the Pixar films like the Incredibles, Toy Story, etc and I put Astroboy on par with them. I feel that this movie was definitely better than some of the recent kid films.


I also would encourage people if they are interested to check out the cartoons. They are actually pretty good. I bought them since I barely remember them as a kid and I am glad I did. The 80's set is really good. It covers some serious topics while still having that cute appeal for kids. They are on amazon and really inexpensive as well.

I'll attempt to break it down for people.

Pros: 1.Based on a popular character in Japan
2. Something both adults and children can enjoy
3. No bad language and little potty humor (if any)
4. Pretty good voice actors as well.

Cons: 1. Fans of the old cartoons may not like the new look

Hope everyone has a great day!

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventures of the Robot Kid, November 10, 2009

By 

Chris Pandolfi (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

While owing much to the themes presented in films like "WALL-E," "Pinocchio," and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" (the last two essentially being the same thing), "Astro Boy" is nonetheless an exhilarating, mature, emotional, and visually splendid animated film, successfully relying on a basic plot with heroes, villains, and morals. Its target audience is children, although I suspect they won't get much out of the social and political subtexts - save, maybe, for the idea that everyone should be treated equally even if some of them aren't human. They will, however, respond to the film's look, especially during the action scenes. They may also enjoy a few select moments of comedy relief, such as when the title character realizes that he has machine guns built into his rear end.

Adapted from the Japanese manga series created by Osamu Tezuka, "Astro Boy" begins with a pleasant-sounding public service announcement (provided by Charlize Theron) for Metro City, a floating futuristic metropolis where robots do all the menial things people no longer want to do. Far below them, Earth has become a wasteland of discarded robot parts, some of which are still quite usable. Living contentedly in Metro City is Toby Tenma (voiced by Freddie Highmore), a teenage genius who understands advanced physics and can rewire robots in a snap. His father, the equally brilliant Dr. Tenma (voiced by Nicholas Cage), has discovered two powerful sources of energy, one a blue core that thrives on good energy, the other a red core that thrives on evil energy. (The political implications of this are none too subtle, but it's probably best to not get into that.)

When Toby is vaporized in a demonstration gone wrong, Dr. Tenma takes it upon himself build a super advanced robotic replica, made possible thanks to a single strand of hair, a databank of Toby's memories, and the blue core of positive energy. When the new Toby activates, he discovers that his feet are equipped with rocket boosters, which enables him to fly majestically through over, around, and below Metro City. He also faces both the rejection of Dr. Tenma, who can't get past the fact that the real Toby is dead, and the wrath of President Stone (voiced by Donald Sutherland), a power hungry warmonger whose chances of being reelected depend on the blue core implanted in Toby's chest.

Both factors bring Toby to the Earth's surface, where he meets a group of lost children led by the duplicitous Hamegg (voiced by Nathan Lane), a character not at all unlike Fagin from "Oliver Twist." On Earth, it seems, robots are enslaved and forced to participate in brutal death matches. And much like the Flesh Fair audience in "A.I.," no one really cares what happens to the robots because they're not actual people and only programmed to exhibit emotions. This, of course, is true, yet we're meant to see Toby in the same light as little David, or more fittingly, Pinocchio - a miraculously living being in search of his destiny. The thing is, Pinocchio's birth was the result of magic, not technology, so it's much easier to regard him as a sympathetic character. In retrospect, it seems a bit strange that Toby could have relatable thoughts and feelings.

But if there's one thing movies like this are good at, it's making the audience see past such things. In the moment, we're distracted by the innate desire for the good guy to win and the bad guy to lose, and in spite of his mechanical abilities, Toby is obviously the good guy here. Another thing movies like this are good at is making the action scenes spectacular; select moments are as visually creative as a well-made summer blockbuster, with high-flying camera angles, intense stunts, and stunning special effects, all of which are exciting yet not so loud or fast paced that they become assaulting. I especially enjoyed a shot of Toby digging his way underground with lightning-quick movements of his arms. In order to see, his eyes essentially become flashlights.

The general look of the film is extraordinary. Metro City in particular reminded me of the magnificent City of Tomorrow settings seen on the covers of old time pulp magazines. The characters look more or less like drawings from a manga graphic novel, especially the title character, whose expressive eyes and distinctive two spikes of hair are wonderfully cartoonish.

It just becomes a matter of story, which in this case isn't bad but also isn't particularly original. I was, however, taken by certain individual scenes, such as when Toby and his new friend, Cora (Kristen Bell), look up at the stars while straining to have an honest conversation. I also greatly enjoyed appearances by a trio of robots who operate a kind of radical civil rights organization, one that reminded me, strangely enough, of the Judean People's Front from "Monty Python's Life of Brian." And while the more emotional moments between Toby and Dr. Tenma are hardly groundbreaking, they're also undeniably touching. "Astro Boy" is by no means an unaccomplished film, but given the complexity typically exhibited in robot stories, I guess I expected it to accomplish even more.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well I've got to say I LOVED Astro Boy!, March 17, 2010

By 

Music and Anime Fan 12 (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Astro Boy [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

What a fun, cool, movie! Astro Boy was one awesome ride! It has action, a wonderful voice cast and the animation is beautiful! (Sometimes some of us need a break from 3D) Now I'm a HUGE anime fan so I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and I loved every second. And I really believe, Astro Boy could be a movie for a lot of children to like maybe not little ones. But for kids who love superheroes Astro Boy IMO is perfect! My family loved it! And on Blue Ray it's amazing just too look at! Astro Boy is truly one of my favorite movies that I have seen in a LONG time! =)