The creators of the psycho, acid-trippy, ADD-inducing live-action "Speed Racer" movie a couple of years ago should take note: "Astro Boy" is the way you adapt old-school anime to the big screen. The movie, brought to the big screen by Imagi Studios, is a cute, endearing, fun movie that works well for children and adults. The movie follows young Toby (voiced by Freddie Highmore), a smart little boy who lives in Metro City, a floating city above a junk-covered Earth. In the city, humans are waited on hand and foot by robots, and life is good; the surface of Earth, however, is another story.

Toby dies in a freak accident, and his father, a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma (Nicholas Cage) uses his son's DNA to make a robot replica of his son, complete with Toby's mannerisms and memories. However, it freaks Dr. Tenma out, and to avoid being deactivated, Robot Toby flies to the surface of Earth. There, he takes the name Astro and meets a group of orphan children, including a cute girl named Cora (Kristen Bell). The children all work for a robot mechanic, the Fagin-esque Hamegg (Nathan Lane), who takes salvaged scraps of robots, turns them into fighting machines and has them fight in Roman gladiator-esque combat.

"Astro Boy" is a little short in the plot department, opting for a little more action and a little less emotional investment, but it's still a sweet little movie. Toby is a loveable character, and it's fun to watch his adventures. The action is exciting, and there is quite a bit of it, including gratuitous scenes of Toby flying using the rockets in his feet. Maybe they should have explored the complex relationship between robot Toby and Dr. Tenma more, but what kid (or kid-at-heart) doesn't really want to imagine being able to fly around?

I don't know much about the "Astro Boy" anime from the 1960s, but the movie did have a nostalgic feel to it that I really liked. The animation wasn't perfect - it wasn't Pixar-quality - but it worked well and actually added to the '60s feel of the movie. And, I have to note, it wasn't in 3-D, and I don't think the film suffered for it at all. As far as movies that are appropriate for children, "Astro Boy" is a pretty safe bet, and adults will be entertained, too. Did you see "Astro Boy?" What did you think of the movie? How did it compare to the '60s anime?