LOS ANGELES (AFP) – – Astro Boy, the mythical Japanese cartoon character that has captivated generations of young people worldwide, will come out this year as an animated film by British director David Bowers.

“Without a doubt, this experience has been one of greater creative freedom. A lot of my robots, for example, were inspired by pre-Colombian characters,” said Luis Grane, the film’s Argentine character designer.

The animated feature is based on the popular Japanese cartoon series by Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989), known as the “god of manga” in its heyday in the 1960s.

“The biggest challenge with recreating Astro Boy was the protagonist, because he had to meet the approval of not only the director, but also Tezuka’s son,” said Grane, who worked for six years at US film studio DreamWorks before collaborating on “Spider-Man 2,” “The Matrix” and animation powerhouse Pixar’s “Ratatouille.”

Full Story: AFP/Yahoo PH