AOL: Inside Movies
Crude posters of Lenin and Trotsky adorn the threadbare walls of an office in a desolate part of town, and a group of outcast revolutionaries hatch a scheme to overthrow the ruling powers and bring equality and a classless society to mankind. The beginning of an Eisenstein film? Bunuel? Renoir?
Try 'Astro Boy,' the upcoming animated film featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell about a boy robot (Freddie Highmore) that leaves his scientist father after finding out he isn't human. Ostensibly a film for children -- with a fringe following of fanboys, thanks to its comic book series -- the movie features very adult ideas of ownership and class structure that will most likely be future fodder for college philosophy classes around the country.
While it's no secret that Hollywood films tend to skew left in general, 'Astro Boy' may be the first animated blockbuster to discuss, if not necessarily endorse, explicit Marxist ideologies (albeit in cute robot form, of course.) In the movie, the aforementioned outcasts, led by Robotsky, form the Robot Revolutionary Front, stenciling their logo on city walls and chanting "Viva La Robotolution" at anyone within earshot. On the whole, it's played for laughs, but makes us ponder the question:
Have animated films gotten more leftist in recent years?
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I almost died when I read this. It seems conservatives have forgotten that Astro Boy isn't a new series. It was created in the 50's by the famous manga-ka Osamu Tesuka and was revived in the 80's and 2003.
But seriously? Astro Boy has leftist ideals? What ever happened to just watching movies for enjoyment? Why do the conservatives have to analyze films into such detail?
So discuss ED, why do the conservative right have to make big a big deal out of classic movies like Mulan, Aladdin, Snow White, Pochantas, and even this fall's big blockbuster hit: Astro Boy: The Battle for Terra?