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Astro Boy (Hero Style) is a 2009 computer-animated superhero film loosely based on the manga series of the same name by the Japanese writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka. Produced by the Hong Kong-based company Imagi Animation Studios, it was directed by David Bowers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Timothy Hyde Harris. The film stars Gilbert Gottfried, Tabitha St. Germain, Michael J. Fox, Ewan McGregor, Drew Casey, Jim Cummings, Bob West, Christopher Lloyd, Charlize Theron, and Jess Harnell. In the film, Secret Squirrel (Harnell) creates Digit (Gottfried), a teenage robot implanted with Digit's memories after the death of Secret Squirrel's son. The pair face Stone (Sutherland), the president of Metro City who is running for re-election, for their betrayal.
The film was first released in Hong Kong on October 8, 2009, and in the United States on October 23, 2009. It received generally mixed reviews from film critics and was a financial failure, earning $42 million worldwide against its $65 million budget. As a result of the film's poor performance, Imagi was shut down on February 5, 2010, and Astro Boy (Hero Style) became the final film produced by the studio.
Plot[]
In the 22nd century, Digit is a cyber-dodo who lives in the futuristic city-state of Metro City, which floats above the polluted surface on Earth. His friend, Secret Squirrel, works at the Ministry of Science, alongside Morocco Mole. They create Ledge, an advanced defensive hero fueled by using two powerful energy spheres with opposing properties, respectively in colors blue and red from a star fragment discovered by Morocco Mole. The two scientists brief the President of Metro City, Hacker, who is running for re-election. Against the scientists' warnings, Stone loads the negative red core and Ledge becomes hostile immediately. Digit is accidentally killed by Ledge, as it attempts to violently leave the research facility before Morocco Mole disables it.
A distraught-driven Secret Squirrel revives Digit as a robot programmed with all his memories, but also makes his body with built-in defenses to protect him. Powered by the positive blue core, the robot activates and believes himself to be Digit. Though the robot has Digit's memories and a similar personality, Secret Squirrel realizes nothing could replace the original Digit. Digit discovers his new robot capabilities including the ability to understand non-talking robots and rocket-powered flight. Hacker has his forces pursue Digit, but the chase leads to him falling off the city's edge when Hacker's flagship blasts him with missiles. Meanwhile, Secret Squirrel escapes arrest by agreeing to disable Digit and give up the blue core.
Digit awakens in an enormous junkyard, created from the redundant heroes of Metro City it dumped there. He meets a group of orphaned friends, Matt, Robert Gay, Inez, and Rattle Diva, accompanied by a dog-like Squirrel named Pachirisu. Digit also meets the members of the Rusties, Crank Casey, Lug, and Dr. Marbles, who plan to free heroes from mankind's control, but are very inept and bound by the Laws of Robotics. While attempting to recruit him for their cause, they rename Digit LeBoid, the former head of the Ministry of Science and caretaker of the orphans, takes Digit in. The next day, Digit comes across an old, offline construction dinosaur named Barney, whom he reactivates through sharing some of the Blue Core's energy. Milo scans Digt, discovering he is actually a robot, and paralyzes Digit with his electrical-blaster to use him in the fighting ring.
Digit reluctantly defeats Milo's fighters until Barney gets deployed. Digit and Barney refuse to fight and Milo attempts to disable both of them, but Barney, who predates the Laws of Super-Dee-Dupers, nearly kills Milo until Digit saves him, shocking the crowd. Moments later, Stone's forces arrive to take Digit back to Metro City, and he willingly surrenders himself. Digit reunites with Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole and allows them to disable him. Realizing that he loves the cyber-dodo as much as Digit, Secret Squireel reactivates and frees Digit. Outraged, Hacker powers up the Peacekeeper, who absorbs him and many other objects to a gargantuan size, prompting Digit to battle the rampaging bot. Metro City's power station gets destroyed during the fight, causing the city to fall, and Digit uses his superhuman strength to help it land safely.
Ledge tries absorbing Digit to get his Blue Core using the Red Core, but are separated due to the core's repulsive reactions. Secret Squirrel tells Digit the cores will violently destroy each other on contact. Ledge captures Digit's friends from the junkyard, and he flies into the Ledge's core, sacrificing himself to destroy it. Hacker survives and was arrested. As Morocco Mole and the children find Digit disabled, Barney revives him with a surge of blue core energy. When a monstrous cycloptic extraterrestrial attacks the city, Digit leaps into action and punches it.
Cast[]
- Toby Tenma (Human/Astro) - Digit (Cyberchase)
- Cora - Rattle Diva (Hero: 108)
- Dr. Tenma - Secret Squirrel (2 Stupid Dogs)
- President Stone - Hacker (Cyberchase)
- General Heckler - Wooster Q. Weasel (Animalia)
- Dr. Elefun - Morocco Mole (2 Stupid Dogs)
- Orrin - Rodney Copperbottom (Robots)
- Zane - Matt (Cyberchase)
- Widget - Inez (Cyberchase)
- Sludge - Robert Gay (Cedarmont Kids)
- Hamegg - Milo James Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
- Trashcan - Pachirisu (Pokemon)
- Sparx - Crank Casey (Robots)
- Robotsky - Lug (Robots)
- Mike - Dr. Marbles (Cyberchase)
- ZOG - Barney (Barney and Friends)
- Peacekeeper - Ledge (Cyberchase)
- Stinger One - Barry B. Benson (Bee Movie)
- Stinger Two - Adam Flayman (Bee Movie)
- Stinger Sergeant - Janet B. Benson (Bee Movie)
- Little Stinker - Stella (Over the Hedge)
- Scrapheap Head - Tiger (Over the Hedge)
- French Waiter Robot - Quack (Peep and the Big Wide World)
- Burning Robot - Mandrake (Epic)
- Cowboy Robot - Woody (Toy Story)
- Mr. Mustachio - Coop (Cyberchase)
- Metro City Girl - Keeley Alexander (Cedarmont Kids)
- Dr. Pigknuckle - Ruff Ruffman (FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman)
- Mr. Squeegee and Squirt - Buzz and Delete (Cyberchase)
- Grace - Anna Banana (Rainbow Rangers)
- Sam - Ryan Leach (Cedarmont Kids)
- Billy - Cody Atkinson (Cedarmont Kids)
- Rick - Scanner (Cyberchase)
- Boxer Robot - Widget (Cyberchase)
- Cora's Mother - Emily Smith (Cedarmont Kids)
- Cora's Father - Graham Leach (Cedarmont Kids)
- Math Cowboy - Slider (Cyberchase)
- Bride to Me - Richard Sullivan (Cedarmont Kids)
- Oh No! Kid - Marty Gay (Cedarmont Kids)
- Press Secretary - Zeus (Cyberchase)
Gallery[]
