Steamboy (2005)

Editor's Note Katsuhiro Otomo, the master Japanese anime director behind the international success AKIRA, scores again with STEAMBOY, the inventive story of a family of inventors from Manchester, England, that gets ripped apart by greed, pride, and power. Ray Steam (voice of Anne Suzuki) is a young boy following in the footsteps of his father, Eddy (Masane Tsukayama), and grandfather, Lloyd (Katsuo Nakamura), scientists dedicated to advancing technology through the use of steam. When Lloyd invents a steam ball that has unheard-of possibilities, everyone wants it--world leaders, wealthy industrialists, and even the government--but most of them want it for evil purposes. And so it is up to Ray to protect the fate of the earth while also choosing between his father and grandfather. The background paintings and 3-D CGI animation are gorgeous, creating a gray-and-white palette of gear-driven machines that melds perfectly with the story, which takes the main characters to a major science exhibition in Victorian-era London. In addition to the original subtitled Japanese version, there is an English-language edition featuring the voices of Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, and Patrick Stewart. STEAMBOY is an animated gem both kids and adults can enjoy.

	Alfred Molina
	Anna Panquin
	Kari Wahlgren
	Patrick Stewart
	Katsuhiro Otomo - Director
	Sadayuki Murai, et. al. - Writer
	Shigeru Watanabe - Executive Producer
	Shinji Komori, et. al. - Producer
	Steve Jablonsky - Original Music By
	Takeshi Seyama - Editor

Los Angeles Times
"[With] lush, painterly backgrounds and some virtuoso sequences..." 03/18/2005 p.E4

Entertainment Weekly
"It's nifty to behold..." 04/01/2005 p.50

Premiere
"The setting and winsomeness of the teen protagonists suggest Otomo paying homage to Miyazaki, but the ideological bent and propulsive action here are pure Otomo." 09/01/2005 p.122

Sight and Sound
"[F]ans may appreciate STEAMBOY for its wholehearted embrace of the sub-genre of 'steampunk', which places futuristic technology in period settings....The splendid animation is on a par with AKIRA." 01/01/2006 p.76

San Francisco Chronicle 9 of 10
The real pleasure of this movie, which has many, is the last 40 minutes, when the villain's plan is unleashed and young Ray must save London. It is the most ambitious stretch of any animated film I have ever seen, action-packed and tightly edited, with imaginative conceptions based on the mechanical contraptions of the period. Steamboy is a fine example of how anime uniquely contributes to world cinema. - G. Allen Johnson

Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
Steamboy is a noisy, eventful and unsuccessful venture into Victorian-era science fiction, animated by a modern Japanese master. It's like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne meet Akira. - Roger Ebert

The Onion AV Club 6 of 10
...it rings slightly hollow at the core, thanks to the bizarre plot, which has two thoroughly mad scientists and multiple hangers-on delivering heartfelt rants about the purpose and meaning of science, then endangering the lives of countless people to enforce their will. - Tasha Robinson