Astonishing Astroboy
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quite the comeback in Japan – with the remake of the marvelous 1960s anime
classic set to air on Fuji TV on April 6 and a Sony film in the works for 2004.
But did you know the story behind Osamu Tezuka’s
Astroboy?
It all started with a 1951 Japanese comic strip starring
a character named Tetsuwan Atomu, or Mighty Atom. Quite a success, the strip was
made into a black and white animated feature for TV, which was broadcast from
1963-1966. Soon, over 40 other countries soon became privy to the wide-eyed
super darling, called Astroboy outside of Japan.
The story goes something
like this: it is the year 2000 (then, that seemed eternities into the future).
We meet a good doctor, who, desperately grieving after the death of his son,
decides to build a robot in his image. Strange, but it gets even stranger.
Before long, this robot-boy finds himself trapped at the hands of an evil
ringmaster in the circus – a circus where robots fight each other for sport.
It is here, in the circus, that he gets the name of Astroboy and begins
realizing his considerable superpowers – including laser-beam fingers,
search-light eyes, incredible strength, a heightened sense of hearing and
constant access to powerful machine guns housed in his hips. Life isn’t so grand
in the circus, however, and after much complaining, a Robots Bill of Rights is
drafted. And once he has his new rights, Astroboy is freed.
He is taken
in by yet another kind doctor, who creates parents for him (as well as a
mischievous little sister named Astrogirl) and gives him a dog. That’s when the
crime fighting adventures really begin, and Astroboy finds himself faced with
everything from wild gangs of thieves to an out-of-control unfinished robot
called Colosso.
In the U.S., Astroboy enjoyed great popularity on
TV – and for a little while, it was even the highest rated show in syndication.
Each episode emphasized the importance of good and just behavior in the face of
adversity, and reflected the mantra of creator Osamu Tezuka, “Love all the
creatures! Love everything that has life!” Astroboy was also unique in
that it appealed to emotion as well as adventure, and the struggle our hero felt
being half boy and half robot was never lost. He also had a naiveté about
him that made him unique from other all-mighty superheroes.
Astroboy resurfaced in Japan in 1980, when Nippon TV began airing
the series in color. Despite his forays on and off the screen, however, he has
always maintained a devoted fan base. And now, in just another week, it looks as
if that fan base is about to get even bigger.
Go, go, go,
Astroboy!
ould change the face of animation and entertainment forever (ultimately,
however, each of Ub’s characters was put to good use: the horse became Horace
Horsecollar, the cow became Clarabelle Cow, and the frog became Flip the Frog,
Ub’s most popular character from his days on his own at the Ub Iwerks Studios).
<br><br>So, once they had their character, Walt set to giving him a voice and
personality, while Ub worked on his design aspects. And in fact, the first three
Mickey Mouse films to be released, <i>Plane Crazy</i>, <i>Gallopin’ Gaucho</i>
and <i>Steamboat Willie</i>, were single-handedly animated by Ub. <br> <br>But
as time went on and Mickey’s popularity began to grow, Ub began to contribute
more and more to the storyline aspect of Mickey’s adventures and the ongoing
development of his personality. This was the very beginning of the ultimate
falling out Walt and Ub would have. Ub started to meddle too much in what Walt
considered his territory, which, when combined with the entrance of Pat Powers
onto the scene, led to Ub selling his share of the company back and leaving to
start the Ub Iwerks Studios. <br><br>Once he left, he resurrected the frog
drawing he had done a few years earlier, and Flip the Frog was born. Ub also
created another character, a mischief making, lying little boy named Willy
Whopper. There were 34 <i>Flip the Frog</i> cartoons and 11 <i>Willy Whopper
</i>cartoons made during Ub’s time on his own, as well as nearly 35
<i>Comi-Color Cartoons</i>. These were brilliantly colored animated works that
were all based on fairy tales. These projects kept Ub busy through 1936, when he
left Ub Iwerks Studios. Until 1938, however, the studio would operate under the
name ”Animated Films Corporation”.<br><br>For the next few years, Ub worked on
two <i>Bugs B