Press Release

THE ORIGINAL COLOR CHILDREN’S TV SHOW FROM THE 80’s ASTRO BOY
TO APPEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAON DVD NOVEMBER 22, 2005
 

Chicago, IL – For the first time, U.S. audiences will be able to enjoy all 51 episodes of the original Astro Boy Japanese color TV series from Japan’s “God of Comics,” Osamu Tezuka on DVD. Manga Entertainment is proud to present the Astro Boy Collectors Box Set featuring 7 DVDs (over 25 hours of animated adventure) on November 22, 2005. Each DVD will offer these classic episodes with both the English language dialogue and, for the first time ever, the original Japanese audio tracks.

The premiere anime ever to broadcast outside of Japan, Astro Boy wowed American audiences in 1963 when the original black & white episodes first aired on NBC, finding their way into the highest rated time slot (6:30pm–7:00pm) for the New York metropolitan area. The show had a tremendous impact on American children and was extremely significant in establishing the popularity of robot heroes in the US, as well as paving the way for the current anime boom. In fact, due to the stregth of this ground-breaking program, reknowned Director Stanley Kubrick famously offered Tezuka a position as a production designer on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Though Tezuka declined, the influence of Tezuka’s work can readily be seen in Kubrick’s final project A.I. Since that time, Astro’s simple, recognizable lines have become an icon of the U.S. subculture and he remains one of the most internationally identifiable personas ever created.

In 1983, Tezuka Productions, in cooperation with the Nippon Television and Network Corporation, created a higher-quality, color version of the beloved character for this all new Astro Boy series. Additional information as well as a preview of this important series can be viewed at www.astro-boy.net

A fanciful combination of Pinocchio and Superman, Astro Boy conveys a timely message about the triumph of kindness, compassion and selflessness in the face of discrimination and human prejudice – a message Tezuka tried to communicate not only to the children of the world, but also to their parents. With the massive success of other Japanese animated programs currently broadcasting on U.S. television (Full Metal Alchemist, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cowboy Bebop and Dragonball Z), Astro Boy is sure to find a welcome home among children eager to enjoy Astro’s exciting adventures and embrace the value of aiding humanity.

The story of Astro Boy takes place in April 2030, when a brilliant robotics engineer named Doctor Boynton looses his son Toby in a tragic car accident. Distraught over his death, the dedicated but heart-broken scientist uses his technical expertise to construct a robot in the boy’s image. But all was not as he’d hoped, for the scientist soon realized that the robot could never grow into a human being capable of filing the void in his heart.

Abandoned to the care of Hamegg – the cruel ringmaster of a carnival where androids are forced to fight each other, Astro Boy is rescued by the kindly Doctor Elefun – an “android’s rights” activist who adopts the boy robot and guides him in the use of his special powers to aid and protect mankind.

Manga Entertainment Inc. specializes in the production and distribution of Japanese animation for theatrical, DVD and home video release worldwide. Manga's cutting-edge film collection also features Asian live-action, cult, pop-culture and international animation. The Manga film library is marketed and distributed in the U.S. through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Manga is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in London and Tokyo. www.manga.com

Manga Entertainment is an Anchor Bay Entertainment company. Anchor Bay Entertainment is an established leader in the field of home entertainment with an enormous library that includes the ever-popular Thomas & Friends collection, notable films such as “Time Bandits” and “Halloween,” classic television programming such as “Three’s Company” and chart-topping fitness titles including the “Crunch” and “For Dummies” series.

Manga Entertainment is a subsidiary of IDT Entertainment. IDT Entertainment is focused on developing, acquiring, producing and distributing computer-generated as well as traditional animated and live productions for the film, broadcast and direct-to-consumer markets. IDT Entertainment is a divisions of the IDT Corporation with common shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: IDT; IDT.C). Manga Entertainment, Anchor Bay Entertainment, IDT Entertainment and IDT Corporation can be accessed via the web by visiting www.manga.com, www.anchorbayentertainment.com, www.idtentertainment.com, and www.IDT.net.