USA: Cast of "Astro Boy" walk the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of new 3D animated film

Record ID: 220111

  • Title: USA: Cast of "Astro Boy" walk the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of new 3D animated film
  • Date: 21st October 2009
  • Summary: "ASTRO BOY" CAST POSING FOR PHOTOS AND PUSH TO ACTOR BILL NIGHY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR FREDDIE HIGHMORE ON WHY HE WAS HAPPY TO PLAY A ROLE IN "ASTRO BOY," SAYING: "I think it's something great for people who have seen the film. I'm sorry, not the film but knew about Astro Boy before. And also for those who haven't, you know. It was like being part of a huge secret, really. And tonight we get to let everyone in on it." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BILL NIGHY ON WHY HE ENJOYS MAKING ANIMATED FILMS, SAYING: "I like them because I get to play parts that I don't generally get to play. You get a range of parts. I don't mind what genre or anything. I just like it if the script is really good. And this was one of the best scripts I read for awhile." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS KRISTEN BELL ON WHY SHE WAS EXCITED TO BE A PART OF "ASTRO BOY" "Well, I for one love animation so much. And I just thought it was a really good script. And it wasn't until after I was involved that I found out how sort of iconic this character is overseas. And I just think it's a really great, fun movie." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BILL NIGHY ON HOW ANIMATED FILMS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR AMONG ALL FILMGOERS, SAYING: "They are no longer a sub-genre either. They're mainstream. And people that have come to expect everything that they would expect from a regular movie from an animated film." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR EUGENE LEVY ON THE CHALLENGE OF PLAYING A VOICE CHARACTER, SAYING: "It's just a different way of working. You walk in. You're really just kind of reciting lines. You're doing it ten, fifteen different ways. You're really giving the director what he needs. You want to give him what he wants. And it's kind of like a very strange acting exercise. You know. I mean how many ways can you say hello? Well, that's the challenge." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) THE SON OF THE CREATOR OF ASTRO BOY, MACOTO TEZKA, ON WHY HE IS HAPPY ASTRO BOY BECAME A FILM, SAYING: "Astro Boy is the character that every Japanese knows and is loved by everyone in Japan. I'm sure everyone in Japan is excited that it came true as a movie right now." (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) ACTRESS KRISTEN BELL AND ASTRO BOY CHARACTER POSING FOR CAMERAS AND KISSING ON THE RED CARPET
  • Embargoed: 5th November 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA8DJE8MSHAKTPT9K5UTM7AYVO6
  • Story Text: The cast of "Astro Boy" walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of the 3D animated film about a popular comic book super hero created in Japan decades ago.
    The event unfolded at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
    London-born actor Freddie Highmore, 17, played the lead role in the movie Highmore said he was pleased to be a part of bringing the character to the big screen.
    "I think it's something great for people who have seen the film," smiled Highmore, 17. "I'm sorry, not the film but knew about Astro Boy before. And also for those who haven't, you know. It was like being part of a huge secret, really. And tonight we get to let everyone in on it."
    Actor Bill Nighy, a fellow Brit, talked about why he enjoys making animated films.
    "I like them because I get to play parts that I don't generally get to play," said Nighy, 59. "You get a range of parts. I don't mind what genre or anything. I just like it if the script is really good. And this was one of the best scripts I read for awhile."
    Nighy also noted that animated films are becoming increasingly popular among filmgoers of all ages.
    "They are no longer a sub-genre either. They're mainstream. And people that have come to expect everything that they would expect from a regular movie from an animated film."
    American actress Kristen Bell said she was excited to be a part of the project.
    "Well, I for one love animation so much," smiled the 29-year-old thespian. "And I just thought it was a really good script. And it wasn't until after I was involved that I found out how sort of iconic this character is overseas. And I just think it's a really great, fun movie."
    Canadian actor Eugene Levy talked about the challenge of playing a voice character.
    "It's just a different way of working," explained Levy, 62. "You walk in. You're really just kind of reciting lines. You're doing it ten, fifteen different ways. You're really giving the director what he needs. You want to give him what he wants. And it's kind of like a very strange acting exercise. You know. I mean how many ways can you say hello? Well, that's the challenge."
    Meanwhile, the son of the creator of the Astro Boy character, Macoto Tezka, shared why he was pleased that "Astro Boy" became a movie.
    "Astro Boy is the character that every Japanese knows and is loved by everyone in Japan. I'm sure everyone in Japan is excited that it came true as a movie right now."
    Tezka served as a consultant on the film.
    Actors Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, Donald Sutherland, and Samuel L. Jackson also play voice characters in the movie.
    "Astro Boy" is based on a highly successful Japanese franchise of the same name by Osamu Tezka.
    The Japanese manga comic book series was first published in 1952, and the television program was first broadcast in Japan in 1963.
    The story of "Astro Boy" follows the adventures of a young robot endowed with extraordinary powers who is in search of his purpose in the universe.
    Dr. Tenma, a leading scientist in the futuristic Metro City, creates him after losing his only son in a tragic accident. But soon Astro Boy finds himself rejected by the man he initially called "father," and on the run from an evil politician seeking to harness his gifts to use for wrongdoing.
    While he is on the run, Astro Boy learns the emotional ups and downs of being human, forges some true friendships, and saves those he loves from danger, ultimately becoming a super hero for his bravery and self-sacrifice.
    "Astro Boy" was produced by the Hong Kong-based Imagi Animation Studios.
    The film score was composed at Abbey Road Studios in Westminster, England.
    The movie was released in Japan on October 10, 2009.
    "Astor Boy" will be rolled out in theatres across North America on Friday, October 23rd.
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