Blasting on to the big screen later year is Astro Boy, Japan's oldest and most beloved character, who blazed the trail for all that followed.
The original manga Tetsuwan Atomu (Mighty Atom) was created by Osamu Tezuka (often referred to as Manga no Kamisama, or the God of Manga) in 1952. It was made into an anime in 1963 and ran for four seasons, or 193 episodes, until 1966. It was later remade in the 1980s as Shin Tetsuwan Atomu and again in 2003.
The story is a sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio. Astro, a powerful robot, was created by the head of the Ministry of Science, Dr Tenma, to replace his son Tobio who died in a car accident. But Dr Tenma soon realises Astro can never replace his son and sells him to a robot circus. Astro is rescued by Professor Ochanomizu, the new head of the ministry, who treats him as a real person, and Astro becomes a warrior against injustice.
The movie version features the voice talents of Hollywood stars Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy and Nicolas Cage as Dr Tenma, as well as Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy and Donald Sutherland.