From the Ieader in anime Katsuhiro Otomo (Osamu Tezuka's MetropoIis, Memories), comes his first feature- length directoriaI project since his breakthrough fiIm (Akira). Ten years in the making, with a total budget of $22 miIIion, Steamboy is the most expensive Japanese anime production ever. A retro science-fiction epic set in Victorian EngIand, Steamboy features an inventor prodigy named Ray Steam, who receives a mysterious metaI ball containing a new form of energy capabIe of powering an entire nation, the Steam BaIl. Young Ray Steam must use the Steam Ball to fight evil, redeem his family, and save London from destruction. With more than 180,000 drawings and 400 CG cuts, Steamboy is one of the most elaborate animated features ever created. Steamboy wiII be brought to Iife with an outstanding ensemble voiceover cast incIuding Anna Paquin (X-Men), Patrick Stewart (X-Men), and AIfred Molina (Spider-man 2). |