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Not hair-raising, but ‘Asto Boy' is quality entertainment

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My grandson likes his hair flat - no spikes, no frills, no hair out of place - so when I tried to talk him into letting the stylist at the screening of “Astro Boy” put product in his hair and do an Astro Boy-style coif, he balked. Still, regardless of his disdain for the super boy's do, Case loved the film, I loved watching him enjoy it; and, even better, it entertained me as well. I attended the screening with my son too, and while he was not nearly as impressed as his son, it proved a nice day out for us.

“Astro Boy” begins his existence as a real boy, Toby (voiced by Freddie Highmore), son of famous scientist Dr. Tenma (voiced wonderfully by Nicolas Cage), creator of complex, intelligent robots whose sole purpose lies in serving humans - in this case the humans who inhabit Metro City, a sky island that broke away from a dying Earth. In Metro City, life is good and robots and humans live in harmony. Tenma and another scientist, Dr. Elefun (Bill Nighy), have isolated pure energy in the form of red (bad) and blue (good) energy. Of course, the government, namely General Stone (a delightfully creepy Donald Sutherland), a man vying to be president, wants to get its hands on this amazing tool. Toby, who has the same intelligence as his father, never gets to spend much time with him, so he stows away, following his dad to his lab to watch the energy test, but tragedy occurs. Toby becomes trapped behind the glass when the experiment goes terribly wrong and all that remains is the boy's red ball cap.

Devastated, Dr. Tenma creates a new robot, Toby, complete with all of Toby's DNA markings and his memories. As far as the boy is concerned, he is Toby - that is, until he discovers his hidden powers: super strength, fire-powered shoes (feet) that allow him to fly and more. Soon Toby embarks on an adventure that will transform him into Astro Boy.

Certainly, one could compare “Astro Boy” with the classic tale of Pinocchio, but I think the message in this modern rendering is far different. Visually the film stuns and is nearly perfect in every way. Much like a Pixar film, even the minutest detail is depicted. Action sequences abound and provide a great deal of excitement and entertainment.

When his father rejects him, Astro finds himself on Earth with the sinister Gen. Stone hot on his trail. On Earth, Astro meets a group of human children who believe he, too, is a child. The robots on Earth know Astro's secret, but believe him to be a double agent in the robots' plight for equality and fairer treatment. The story is not wholly unique to be certain, but my grandson would not know that and it did not bother me. And until the sugary, super-sappy finale, my son liked “Astro Boy” a great deal. Case, my little guy, sat mesmerized and seemed most delighted by the action sequences and the amazingly well rendered robots. A little robot trashcan doggy proved a favorite character for him.

Nathan Lane voices the character of Ham Egg, the children's only adult figure, who takes in Astro. Soon, however, Astro discovers that Egg is not what he seems, but I won't spoil. Sinister characters in “Astro Boy” are amply sinister and good guys ooze sweetness and light. Dr. Tenma, who first rejects the boy, later comes to his senses, realizing that while he is not human, Astro is his creation and therefore technically his son. I principally enjoyed Sutherland as the creepy, menacing warmonger and scenes that include him are particularly exciting. Other voices please as well - Eugene Levy, Kristin Bell and Samuel L. Jackson round out the cast.

Hong Kong's Imagi animation studio created the film's simple but eye-appealing animation; each scene, set, character is conducive to the story's uncomplicated plot. Screenwriter Timothy Harris' story follows a straightforward and pleasing structure, even if it does close with an overly syrupy ending. Special effects easily deliver action and excitement and the end result is a fun film suitable for the entire family.

“Astro Boy,” rated PG for some action and peril and brief mild language, has all the elements of quality family entertainment. Some adults, like my son, might be put off by the formulaic plot and sweet ending, but my grandson loved it and in my book, that says a great deal. I am putting an A- in my gradebook for this animated, fun-filled film.

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