Here Comes Astro Boy!
Actor Freddie Highmore voices the famous boy robot in a new animated adventure, in theaters now
By Vickie An
Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a . . . flying boy? Yes, but not just any boy -- Astro Boy. The famous Japanese cartoon character soars into movie theaters in an all-new animated tale, now playing.
KELVIN JONES
Actor Freddie Highmore gets animated as the voice of Astro Boy.
The movie is based on the popular Japanese manga, or comic books, created by the legendary Osamu Tezuka in the 1950s. The futuristic series followed the adventures of a crime-fighting robot named Astro Boy, built by scientist Dr. Tenma to replace his lost son, Tobio. Tenma packed Astro's body with amazing abilities, like super strength and super speed, to name a few. Yet, he still experiences human emotions.The manga was an instant hit, and was later made into a string of TV cartoon series (called anime in Japan) in the 1960s, the 1980s and in 2003, all of which aired around the world. Astro Boy creator Tezuka is often credited as the "Father of Anime," and the little robot himself is known as the Mickey Mouse of Japan.
Now, Astro Boy has been reinvented again for the big screen. Actor Freddie Highmore, of The Spiderwick Chronicles, gives voice to the robotic wonder. TFK chatted with the young star about what it's like to play such an iconic character.
TFK:
Were you familiar with Astro Boy before you got the part?
Freddie:
I became most familiar with him at the time that I was asked to do the role. We were doing a promotional tour in Japan, and just riding in from the airport, we passed Astro Boy stores and murals of him. One subway station was covered in this massive Astro Boy picture, which was amazing. At that moment, I saw how much excitement there is for the character.
TFK:
Did you do anything to prepare for the part?
Freddie:
I read a few of the manga comic strips. I never got to see the 1960s cartoon of Astro Boy--obviously, since I wasn't born yet! But I think what we've done with Astro Boy is we've brought him up to date in terms of his look and where he lives, Metro City. It's still an incredibly modern place, but modern for today's society rather than for back then. The animation is sleek and slick.
TFK:
What similarities, if any, do you think you share with your character?
Freddie:
I think everyone has something in common with Astro Boy, and I think that's why it's been so successful in the past. Everyone knows the feeling of being different. Astro is obviously human, but stuck inside a robot body. Everyone can relate to wanting to be accepted. The Astro Boy story reminds me a little bit of Pinocchio in that way. Pinocchio thinks like a human, but he's made of wood and he just wants to be like every other kid.
TFK:
Except that Astro has super strength, x-ray vision and can fly . . .
COURTESY SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT
Astro stands tall with his new robot friend Zog.
Freddie:
[Laughs] Yeah. He thinks like everyone else, but he is a true super hero. He can fly and drill his way through solid rock. He's powered by this blue core of pure positive energy, so he just wants what's best for the world. He doesn't have any rottenness in him.
TFK:
What do you think makes a hero?
Freddie:
It's important for a hero to be someone who is realistic. I think Astro is a hero because people can relate to him and the fact that he's just got goodness in him. He wants to make the world a better place and to achieve that through non-violence. That's really admirable.
TFK:
Who's your hero?
Freddie:
I think in terms of acting, Johnny Depp would be my hero. I'm incredibly lucky [to have worked with him] and he's become a great friend as well. I look up to him, and I think he's a fantastic guy and a fantastic actor.
TFK:
What's your favorite Astro Boy power?
Freddie:
I'd love to be able to fly. I'm not sure I could use the butt machine guns that he has to the same effect that he does in the film! I think flying is the one that everyone would choose, just to be able to go wherever you want without a car and avoiding all the traffic jams.
TFK:
If you could build a robot, what would its abilities be?
Freddie:
If it could only have one, I'd love it to be able to transport me around the world. Then I wouldn't need to fly. You know, if it could just grab hold of you and fly a million miles around the world, it would be fantastic. No more long airline flights from London to Los Angeles. You would be there in a matter of seconds and you could be home by evening. It would be great.
TFK:
What would you like audiences to take away from the film?
Freddie:
I hope that it raises the question as to what makes us human beings. Is Astro human even though he has these amazing abilities that only a robot can have? I think it's quite a deep question. But I think everyone who sees it will have that going over his or her mind. Also, I just hope that everyone gets something out of it. There's humor, action and emotion. You laugh one moment and then you cry the next. It's really a rollercoaster.
TFK:
Do you feel the film lives up to the vision of Astro Boy that Osamu Tezuka created?
Freddie:
Definitely. There's so much Astro Boy material that we couldn't use everything, but I think we've done it justice.
Max-I definitely don’t like to watch Astro Boy, but this time in October, The new Astro Boy movie came out in America. I think it is a good movie, but I still can’t watch it now!
I know that Astro Boy is made by Japan, and he and his friends go to fight crime. I have an Astro Boy pencil case, and I know that there are three friends to help him. But there is also some changes in the original and movie edition! I know that he is half naked in the original, and he didn’t wear any shirts. And I don’t know a fun thing in the original, he can shoot laser out from his bottom! He also has many new friends, like Zog the big robot etc. But why does the movie come out from America? I don’t know, but never mind. Let’s enjoy the movie of Astro Boy!
2009/10/26
2009/10/07
Saturn's Super-Sized Ring
October 7, 2009
Saturn's Super-Sized Ring
NASA scientists discover a huge new ring around Saturn
By Suzanne Zimbler
When you think of Saturn, you probably picture a planet surrounded by colorful rings. For years, Saturn was known to have seven main rings. But on Tuesday, NASA scientists announced that they had spotted an eighth.
NASA/PA/AP
Saturn's never-before-seen ring is the largest in the solar system.
This never-before-seen ring is not only Saturn's biggest. It is also the largest in our solar system. "This is one super-sized ring," said Anne Verbiscer, one of the astronomers who worked on the study. According to scientists, the ring is so huge that it would take one billion Earths to fill it.
Seeing Rings
Four hundred years ago, Galileo got the first glimpse of Saturn's rings using his telescope. NASA scientists also used a telescope to spot the new ring. The Spitzer telescope, launched in 2003, orbits the sun while taking pictures of faraway objects in space.
The new ring is almost invisible to the human eye. But the Spitzer telescope can detect the glow of extremely cold objects, such as the giant ring, which is minus 316ºF. "By focusing on the glow of the ring's cool dust, Spitzer made it easy to find," said Verbiscer.
Made of Moondust
NASA Scientists think the giant ring is made up of dust from Saturn's moon Phoebe.
The colossal hoop circles Saturn from a distance of eight million miles. It is 50 times farther away from Saturn than the planet's other rings. It also has a completely different tilt.
The giant ring is made up of a thin layer of dust. Scientists think the dust comes from Saturn's moon Phoebe. Why? Phoebe orbits within the ring. Its dents and marks make it clear that Phoebe has been hit many times by space rocks and clumps of ice. Each time Phoebe is hit, dust flies into space and goes into orbit, adding particles to the giant ring.
Moon-Made Mystery
The discovery of the new ring may also provide scientists with an answer to a mystery. Another of Saturn's moons, lapetus, has a bright side and a very dark side. Scientists have long wondered why. With the discovery of the new ring, they now believe that dust from the giant ring is moving toward Saturn and slamming into lapetus.
"Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Phoebe and the dark material on lapetus," said scientist Douglas Hamilton. "This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship.
Max-I know that many planets have very big rings, and all of them are made of gas. But when now the scientists discovered another huge ring on Saturn, I felt very interested in this discovery.
I knew that there are 8 planets in the solar system, when Pluto was renamed as a dwarf planet in August 2006. I also know that planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are made of gas and it has rings. And I know that the temperature in the planets, some are hot (like Venus), and some are cold (such as the planets far away). I also know that in Mars, Olympus Mons is three times the height as Mount Everest, and it has many red spots too. But this time I was very excited to know there was a very big ring on Saturn!
Saturn's Super-Sized Ring
NASA scientists discover a huge new ring around Saturn
By Suzanne Zimbler
When you think of Saturn, you probably picture a planet surrounded by colorful rings. For years, Saturn was known to have seven main rings. But on Tuesday, NASA scientists announced that they had spotted an eighth.
NASA/PA/AP
Saturn's never-before-seen ring is the largest in the solar system.
This never-before-seen ring is not only Saturn's biggest. It is also the largest in our solar system. "This is one super-sized ring," said Anne Verbiscer, one of the astronomers who worked on the study. According to scientists, the ring is so huge that it would take one billion Earths to fill it.
Seeing Rings
Four hundred years ago, Galileo got the first glimpse of Saturn's rings using his telescope. NASA scientists also used a telescope to spot the new ring. The Spitzer telescope, launched in 2003, orbits the sun while taking pictures of faraway objects in space.
The new ring is almost invisible to the human eye. But the Spitzer telescope can detect the glow of extremely cold objects, such as the giant ring, which is minus 316ºF. "By focusing on the glow of the ring's cool dust, Spitzer made it easy to find," said Verbiscer.
Made of Moondust
NASA Scientists think the giant ring is made up of dust from Saturn's moon Phoebe.
The colossal hoop circles Saturn from a distance of eight million miles. It is 50 times farther away from Saturn than the planet's other rings. It also has a completely different tilt.
The giant ring is made up of a thin layer of dust. Scientists think the dust comes from Saturn's moon Phoebe. Why? Phoebe orbits within the ring. Its dents and marks make it clear that Phoebe has been hit many times by space rocks and clumps of ice. Each time Phoebe is hit, dust flies into space and goes into orbit, adding particles to the giant ring.
Moon-Made Mystery
The discovery of the new ring may also provide scientists with an answer to a mystery. Another of Saturn's moons, lapetus, has a bright side and a very dark side. Scientists have long wondered why. With the discovery of the new ring, they now believe that dust from the giant ring is moving toward Saturn and slamming into lapetus.
"Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Phoebe and the dark material on lapetus," said scientist Douglas Hamilton. "This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship.
Max-I know that many planets have very big rings, and all of them are made of gas. But when now the scientists discovered another huge ring on Saturn, I felt very interested in this discovery.
I knew that there are 8 planets in the solar system, when Pluto was renamed as a dwarf planet in August 2006. I also know that planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are made of gas and it has rings. And I know that the temperature in the planets, some are hot (like Venus), and some are cold (such as the planets far away). I also know that in Mars, Olympus Mons is three times the height as Mount Everest, and it has many red spots too. But this time I was very excited to know there was a very big ring on Saturn!
2009/10/03
Chien-Ming Wang
October 3, 2009
Chien-Ming Wang
By Max
Chien-Ming Wang is a great pitcher in America’s Baseball League, and many fans like him very much. But I know that in 2009, he was badly hurt, and he can’t throw now. The team coach maybe will not sign the contract, and kick him out of his team.
Chien-Ming Wang was a good baseball player when he was little, and he played well in his elementary baseball team. When he grew up, he played for many teams in Taiwan, and he got better than before. The American Baseball League saw him doing well, and wanted to sign a contract. Wang chose the Yankees because he can get several million NT dollars a year. He started playing in 2005, and got many wins in 2005-2007. But he was injured in 2008 and 2009, one time each year, and he can’t play. I wish he wouldn’t been kicked out of the team because he was a excellent pitcher.
Chien-Ming Wang
By Max
Chien-Ming Wang is a great pitcher in America’s Baseball League, and many fans like him very much. But I know that in 2009, he was badly hurt, and he can’t throw now. The team coach maybe will not sign the contract, and kick him out of his team.
Chien-Ming Wang was a good baseball player when he was little, and he played well in his elementary baseball team. When he grew up, he played for many teams in Taiwan, and he got better than before. The American Baseball League saw him doing well, and wanted to sign a contract. Wang chose the Yankees because he can get several million NT dollars a year. He started playing in 2005, and got many wins in 2005-2007. But he was injured in 2008 and 2009, one time each year, and he can’t play. I wish he wouldn’t been kicked out of the team because he was a excellent pitcher.
2009/10/02
A National Hero
October 2, 2009
A National Hero
By Max
I know that there are many people getting cancer and dying, or maybe they lose their parts of body. But when a young teenager, Terry Fox, gets cancer and saw a lot of people getting cancer, he decided to run to raise money.
Terry Fox was a healthy kid when he was little, but when he was a teenager, his knee was hurting and it never stopped. Terry went to the doctor and was known to get cancer. He was shocked and the doctors cut his right leg. He saw a lot of people getting cancer, and he thought of an idea to raise money. He wanted to run a long, long marathon, and he wanted to run over Canada. He started to run in 1980, but after a hundred and forty days later, he had to stop because his cancer came back. After a few months, he died, but many people raised money to the people who got cancer.
Terry Fox was a great teenager since he got cancer, and cutting his right leg, but not planning to give up. He wanted to help the people who got cancer, but not helping himself. He is a special man, so we need to bless him.
A National Hero
By Max
I know that there are many people getting cancer and dying, or maybe they lose their parts of body. But when a young teenager, Terry Fox, gets cancer and saw a lot of people getting cancer, he decided to run to raise money.
Terry Fox was a healthy kid when he was little, but when he was a teenager, his knee was hurting and it never stopped. Terry went to the doctor and was known to get cancer. He was shocked and the doctors cut his right leg. He saw a lot of people getting cancer, and he thought of an idea to raise money. He wanted to run a long, long marathon, and he wanted to run over Canada. He started to run in 1980, but after a hundred and forty days later, he had to stop because his cancer came back. After a few months, he died, but many people raised money to the people who got cancer.
Terry Fox was a great teenager since he got cancer, and cutting his right leg, but not planning to give up. He wanted to help the people who got cancer, but not helping himself. He is a special man, so we need to bless him.
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