What was the message? In this military household, we try to avoid poor caricatures of military personnel; this film was simply violent for violence's sake. The kill-em-all-at-any-cost mentality of the commander was over the top and ridiculously out of date. That doesn't even begin to address the young lad who will become Astro Boy. First, he's vaporized in front of his father, whose relationship with his son has already been established as distant and dysfunctional. Then, after recreating his son as a robot (why? his only interest in the child was for his intelligence), he rejects/ abandons the boy, allowing him to be viciously hunted down by the military. After he escapes to the planet below, basically a dump, the movie shifts into "Pinocchio" gear. Frankly, at this point I quit watching. It was an offensive piece of trash. The only levity was purely adult-oriented humor from the communist robot trio. My older children tell me this is standard anime fare; I found it frightening, as did the the younger children in the audience. The 4-year old behind me asked repeatedly "Did he just die?" It was disturbing, especially since this film was highly advertised during children's programming as "fun family fare!" Hardly.
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Astro Boy
(2009, Rated PG, Family and kids, Starring Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson, Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Action-packed adventure a fun bet for young superhero fans.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, friendship
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 7 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Astro Boy
Parents need to know that this animated robot superhero adventure based on the 1960s anime series Astro Boy is age-appropriate for elementary-schoolers. It has fairly sophisticated themes (grief, loss, and war), as well as plenty of cartoon action violence -- including the death of a child, the destruction of several robots, explosions, and robots armed with heavy artillery. But language is limited to mild insults like "idiot," and there's no product placement to worry about. A war-obsessed military man is presented as a humorously negative character; on the opposite end of the political spectrum is a trio of revolutionary robots who call each other "comrade" and have a poster of Lenin in their meeting place.
Read our full review by Sandie Angulo Chen
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how Astro Boy compares to other superheroes. He's created as a robot with special powers, rather than born or accidentally transformed. How does Astro Boy accept (as Spider-Man says) that with great power comes great responsibility?
- Do you think the movie's more mature themes will resonate with kids? What other movies touch on issues related to technology, pollution, war, and the like? Is this appropriate material for a kids' movie?
- How is Toby's death handled? Many children's movies feature the death of a parent, but it's rare for the death of a child to be included. Kids: Would you have preferred for Toby to be transformed into Astro Boy rather than die?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title off for age 5 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
Not for the young.
- I rate this title off for age 4 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
What was the message? In this military household, we try to avoid caricatures of military personnel; this one was simply violent for violence's sake. The kill-em-all mentality of the commander was over the top and ridiculously out of date. That doesn't even begin to address the young lad who will become Astro Boy. First, he's vaporized in front of his father, whose relationship with his son has already been established as dysfunctional. Then, after recreating his son as a robot, he rejects the boy, allowing him to be hunted down by the military. After he escapes to the planet below, basically a dump, the movie shifts into "Pinocchio" gear. Frankly, at this point I quit watching. It was an offensive piece of trash. The only levity was purely adult-oriented humor from the communist robot trio. My older children tell me this is standard anime fare; I found it frightening, as did the the younger children in the audience.
- I rate this title off for age 9 and give itMy concerns are:
- Negative role models
I just took my daughter to see this movie and I am totally disappointed by what I saw. The dad was completely unsupportive and the child died three times. Twice was the dads fault. It was a terrible picture and had my daughter crying. I would not recommend this movie to anyone and we definitely will not purchase this one when it comes out on DVD.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Astro Boy: A Family Movie
Why rate it 8+? Well, when a boy gets vaporized, it's not always the best thing for little kids, especially if they don't understand what's going on. A fair amount of action and "violence" but nothing bloody, gory, or inappropriate. A great family movie.
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Astroboy may be marketed to the wrong audience: the main character looks like a small child, but at heart this is an adolescent movie, dealing with classic adolescent questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? I was utterly riveted by Astroboy, except for the parts I spent consoling a crying 6-year-old. Despite its made-for-toys appearance, this is NOT a movie for the Toy Story set. While my son didn't want to leave the theater, and now says that he liked this movie, he sobbed heartbrokenly over parts of it--and this is a kid who wasn't scared by the Wicked Witch of the West or Darth Vader, and didn't cry when E.T. died. The sad portions of Astroboy hit closer to home for a young child. In a floating city above a polluted earth, privileged humans live in luxury, served by robot slaves, and dump their garbage to the earth's surface, where the poor live. A cynical president bolsters his popularity with military prowess, enforced by armed robots designed by the brilliant Dr. Tenma. The roboticist's bright, cocky son, Toby, impatient with perpetually busy Dad, tails him to a demonstration of a new military robot and uses his precocious computer skills to break through security and see the demonstration up close. Too close. In a kids' movie, you may expect a smartass like Toby to get his comeuppance, like Lightning McQueen in Cars. You don't expect him to get himself killed. Well, as I mentioned, this isn't entirely a kids' movie. Dr. Tenma tries to recreate his dead son as a robot with state-of-the-art defense systems to protect him, powered by a heart of "positive blue energy." (BTW, the scientibabble in this movie makes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs look like hard sf by comparison. This is OK with me, but your milage may vary.) Programmed with all Toby's memories, the robot boy thinks of himself as Toby, but both Dr. Tenma and the viewer can spot differences right away. In an odd spin on the Pinocchio theme, the robot seems more of a "real boy" than the original, less driven, more playful, more attuned to others' feelings--including those of the robot servants, whose language he now understands. Dr. Tenma rejects him as a flawed copy; the president wants to take his blue energy core and use it for military technology; and robot-Toby, soon renamed Astro, flees to the earth's surface to find a place for himself. Humans see Astro as a boy; robots, with their differing senses, recognize him as a robot. Instinctively benevolent toward human and robot alike, he is perfectly poised to serve as a bridge between worlds: between the floating city and the surface, between the robots and their human overlords. Yet he can trust none of them, and feels at home with none of them, till he earns acceptance through an act of self-denying heroism. Astroboy has plenty of action and pure fun. When Astro first discovers he can fly, his antics had my 6-year-old son bouncing out of his seat with joy. Pythonesque humor comes from the Robots' Revolutionary Front, a ragtag crew whose dream of rebellion is hampered by their programming not to harm a human. But beneath the fun is a more serious, almost mythic tale of loss, grief, sacrifice, and redemption. Teens may not be attracted to this movie because of the baby-faced hero, but they may find it a pleasant surprise. There's plenty here for the adult viewer, including political satire and background visual jokes that I'll look forward to replaying on DVD. But if you want to bring young children, you may want to discuss in advance some plot points they may find deeply threatening: the death of a child, a father's betrayal of his son, and a child's discovery that he is not the "real boy" he thought he was.
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
Don't let other reviews scare you away from this movie
I was hesitant to take my 5 year old son to see this movie after reading some of these reviews. I had a long talk with him and warned him that the boy dies and is replaced by a robot before we even went to see the movie. All of that was completely unnecessary. Of course their is cartoon violence and of course the boy dies but it is in no way over the top or scary. The movie has a very good message and was ok for me. My son loved it. He said it was one of his favorites. So if you have a kid that is over 5 and has watched any tv, no worries, just enjoy.
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
I took a group of kids to see this movie and they all enjoyed it, boys & girls. I think the majority of the kids didn't really pick up on the fact that Astro Boy really died in the begining. As far as it being violent, I tend to disagree. Compared to some of the stuff that is out there this was tame and totally sci-fi.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
I have one word to say about this movie. Amazing. The beginning especially. It is set in a futuristic world in a small region called Metro city-raised above a polluted earth and hovers over the cluttered "surface" You are introduced to this beyond smart young teenager -Toby (played convincingly by Freddy Highmore) and though you are only 10 minutes into the movie, you can sympathize with this kid who doesn't seem to get enough time with his father. As he sneaks of to see his dad at work-an accident happens. The president-wanting to be re-elected tries to experiment with the dangerous red energy and causes an explosion. Toby-accidentally locked in the room with the explosion, dies. The boy's last word is "DAD!" So, as you have been just introduced into this boy's life, it is taken away and you are left with this haunted feeling. Toby is no longer a character. His grief stricken father-overcome with the loss of his son-decides to make a replica robot. The opposite of the dangerous red energy left a positive blue energy-the source they use to make this replica come to life. He is merely a robot with Toby's memories. But the haunting thing about this is that this new Toby is that he doesn't know he is a robot. So now there are two different people. The old Toby-a genius boy who wants his father but dies. And Now The new Toby-a robot who doesn't know he isn't the original but with his own personality. I kept feeling my heart tug a little as I realized that there was no more Toby but this "understudy" or replacement. The image of the explosion flashed through my mind constantly. Soon, Toby's father realizes he made a mistake of creating this replica with his son's memories because it can never replace the real Toby. As this new Toby discovers he is not real- he struggles with the concept of his destiny. He is not Toby. So WHO is he? And for a robot, you forget for a moment that he is one. So now the new Toby is neglected and runs away to the surface (a.k.a. earth). There he meets a bunch of out casts-or humans that still live on earth-and makes friends with them. Though he now understands he is a robot, he cannot come to tell his new friends that he isn't a human. He makes an especially good bond with Corrina and he finds out that she herself is from Metro City but ran away. The two connect. The new Toby becomes Astro. Near the middle-the president captures Astro and demands the blue energy. Astro-still clinging onto the hope of having a destiny-willingly decides to give his "life". His father takes the energy from his heart feeling it for the best. With wide knowing eyes, Astro dies- his last word is "Dad" So now-these two boys-Toby and Astro-though both containing the same memories are two different people coping with life. Toby's is taken by mistake. Astro-wanting his destiny to be known-willingly gives his life up. But both's last words is "Dad" Though I took away some details and am not telling you the end-you can see that this circle of relationship building. You can see the pain in Toby's father and the hope in Astro. All these factors leave your heart thumping louder then thunder. I really want everyone to know how intricate and deep felt they made the relationships. Though I feel as if I haven't fully explained it enough I want you to get a glimpse of how many people miss these important factors. You can see a swirl of relationship crowding around each o
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Young kids watching young kids get beaten and killed? Bad Idea
I'm not usually one to urge people to boycott something I don't like. I try to reserve that for the super serious issues, and keep the attitude that for the average stuff, "to each his own". But as a fellow parent, I would be grossly remiss to not warn you to at least THINK TWICE before taking your kids to see the movie ASTRO BOY! Most of us with small kids don't get to go to the movies often anyway, but every now and then a good animated film is advertised, captures our kids' attention and seems worth the risk to attempt a trip to the cinema. My kids are usually great at theatres, so when a fun cartoon comes out we jump at the chance to see it and get some movie-theatre popcorn. So was the case with Astro Boy. My warning to you is that this movie is highly inappropriate for young children. It was deceivingly advertised and marketed to young kids. Firstly, it's a cartoon, with a kinda bubbly animation form that usually translates to "safe for kids" content. Secondly, it's about a kid. Thirdly, they pushed it at little kids with Astro Boy toys in HappyMeals (those are for young kids, right) But most importantly, it got a PG rating. And it really is not for kids. WHAT'S INAPPROPRIATE ABOUT ASTRO BOY? In a nutshell: -There is a ton of GUN violence -The words "kill" and "die" and "dead" are said constantly throughout -The young star of the film is KILLED in the first 15 minutes of the movie. (it's an explict scene as he cries to his father to save him) -It's full of abuse, neglect, and violence towards children or child-like characters. -The fight scenes are long, scary, and gruesome -There's a ton of political messaging I'm assuming this movie managed to get a PG rating because, technically, there is no explicit foul language, nudity, or sex. But it baffles me because there is a great deal of explicit violence that is very scary for young children. And since when did kid's movies replace moral messages with political ones? I know that sometimes, there's a gray area between the two, but this movie was clearly more political than moral. And despite what my own political opinions may be, I don't want political innuendo constantly reiterated (literally over and over) to my 3 year old during a cartoon. I want my kids to be happy-go-lucky little kids for quite a while longer. It was uncomfortable for me to watch this movie with my kids, and by the end, my 3 year-old was wailing. His heart was heavy, he was sad and scared, and saying he did not like this movie. It was sad without being redeeming and violent without being exciting. Now, personally I'm a free spirit who feels that all forms of entertaiment have a place, because no one brand of entertainment fits all people. Again, I have always had a "to each his own" view of this, and still do, even with regards to this film. I believe it's a parents responsiblity to protect their own children from inappropriate content in media and elsewhere. And in that spirit, that's what I tried to do. Ideally, I would have spent the (excessive) $11.00 for a movie ticket (and 2 hours of my life) to go the the movie by myself and pre-screen it before taking my children, to make sure it was appropriate. But, is that realistic? No! Instead, I did the best I could as a parent (who had already had this movie over-marketed to my 3-year-old before I even knew about), I read the summary, I read reviews, and I looked at the rating. None of which gave any clue of the violence or death contained in the movie. So after being begged by a kid who had recieved an Astro Boy toy with his Happy Meal, and saw commericials that did not hint to any of the violence, I spent $50 to take my family of 4 to an early matinee. And so that's why I'm writing this message, now. As parents we need to look out for eachother, right? When product marketing becomes our nemesis, when rating systems fail us, and when reality just does not allow for us to "pre-screen" everything, we need the help of fellow parents! It's why we band together for mom's clubs and playdates, and why we give recommendations on everything from car seats to cribs. I wish someone had warned me about this movie before I traumatized my own kids with a so-called "treat to the theatre." Unfortunately, my husband and I both think that this "mis-rating" of movies is a growing trend. Since animated movies tend to do better in the box offices, it seems like producers are pushing through "adult" themed movies in animated form. Maybe I'll just have to start doing that $11 self-screening, afterall. Having said all this, I'm not advising anyone NOT to see it, I'm just warning you to think twice before you take your kid(s).
- I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Too scary for seven year olds
I left after the first half hour because it was so scary. I think it would still be scary later. I think it is inappropriate for ages seven and under. I found the evil robot really scary and I kept expecting more bad things to happen to Astro Boy.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
bad.it is boring.it is the same thing over and over
it is pretty bad but it isnt as bad as some other movies it is just the same thing over and over... astro boy vs robots
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
Entertaining but not in my top 10.
My 7 and 9 year old boys liked the movie. It wasn't too violent and was somewhat entertaining. However my youngest didn't like that Astroboy dies twice. When the human boy dies it is a sad moment for the younger kids.
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Awesome for everyone movie!!!!!
I loved it even though there was sad parts and cartoonish violence. Otherwise, it was better than expected!
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
Perfect for my 9 yr old autistic son
Very definite about good and evil. Encouraged learning and to use abilities for good. Showed that family and friendship should be valued. Although I didn't understand why there was no mother.
- I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Astroboy is a lot of fun
Astroboy was a lot of fun. My 9-year-old girl really liked it too. Not the bestof the year, but very entetaining and very interesting. She is old enough to understand "bad guys" who are misguided, not just pure evil, and Astroboy's dad is that.
- I rate this title on for age 6 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Parents, stop talking down to your kids
I will admit, the violent scenes were indeed very violent, but I have to ask anyone who truly complains about that: Did you ever watch Astro Boy when growing up? You have to remember that the show was very much like that. In fact, it was even more violent than the movie, so I don't know where you're coming from. Anyway, this was a good movie. I like that it doesn't talk down to kids. Since parents these days tend to lie about death, we kinda need that in movies, which parents seem to treat as teachers nowadays. We all have to deal with things that like sometimes, so it's good to let kids know about it ahead of time so they're prepared. Afterall, is it not a parent's job to explain this and maybe make it seem less scary for the kid? The story was good and while critics call it unoriginal, one has to remember that the show came out years before other robots shows like Robots and Wall-E, so in a way, this movie is completely original. I, myself, am an action lover, so I loved the fight scenes. They were cool and luckily, they did not last for too long so I didn't find myself annoyed by how long they were. I don't really consider it a worthy addition to anyone's DVD collection when it does come to DVD format, but it's certainly worth checking out at least once.
- I rate this title on for age 7 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
I love it
Great animation, no swearing, and no sexual content (other than mild flirting).
- I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
Too Violent
The negatives far outweight the positives in this movie. Very violent including (but not limited to) the death of a man's son (who is easily replaced), attempted murder, and suicidal behavior. The little ones might not catch all of that, but they can't miss the exploxions that are so loud they vibrate the chest cavity. For my money, I'd rather my kiddo see something less confusing.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 50% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 36% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
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