AllMovie

This 1980 remake of one of the first anime series of all time, is built on a staple of Japanese story telling--that an inanimate or artificial creature can earn a soul and become truly human through its connection to other human beings. In Astro Boy, a doctor who has lost his own son uses his genius as well as his grief to create a robot boy named Astro. As a robot, Astro is capable of incredible physical feats, but he is also capable of inner strength and growth, as his wild adventures and noble quests prove. With the help of his little dog Jump, Astro escapes from a robot circus, rescues people in need, and even plays with a robot sister named Uran.