Otomo recognised the fascination that that era holds, and he chose to concentrate particularly on recreating the feel and ‘texture’ of the Nineteenth Century down to the very greasiness of the oil, the heat and dampness of the steam, and the coarse rustiness of the iron. And so Britain, which has continued to pioneer inventions since the development of the steam engine, came to be the setting for the story.’ The keywords of The Great Exhibition and Steam Engine came to be the essential elements of the story. Cannon Fodder was written based on images of Europe at the time of World War I, and I wanted to expand on the theme of the past in a dramatic way. ‘I thought we could show the technology to its best effect, not in a futuristic world of science fiction, but by going back in time to the past. Otomo opted not for a futuristic setting, as with Astro Boy, but instead chose to portray the power of steam through the backdrop of Nineteenth Century Britain. However, Otomo realised that in order to bring the project to fruition, it was essential to revolutionise the way animation was made – to introduce a new, fully digital production system, unlike anything in use at the time. This idea was first introduced in Cannon Fodder. The idea for Steamboy originated in June 1994, when Otomo was making the Memories he began to entertain the thought of expanding the creative idea of a world of mechanical steam machines. To make Steamboy a reality, Otomo assembled a dedicated and talented team to create, as he puts it: ‘an adventurous world of dreams and imagination.’ Extensive and in-depth research was undertaken to study the machinery, architecture, art, and costumes of the period, to enable the director to accurately recreate the actual sights and sounds of Nineteenth Century Britain, which sets the stage for the Steamboy story. Otomo’s complete dedication to every detail of the project is evident throughout the film. Ten years in the making, with a total budget of 2.4 billion yen (US$22 million), Steamboy is one of the most expensive Japanese anime productions ever.
#STEAMBOY ANIME FULL#
Otomo’s epic animation – a fusion of two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics, produced with full digital technology was finally completed. In 2004, an obsession of his became a reality. He also directed, scripted and created the characters and artwork for Cannon Fodder, one of the films in the omnibus, which was based on his original manga. Otomo was the Supervising Producer and Supervising Director for the cinematic release of the omnibus version of Memories. Akira was also highly regarded outside of Japan, becoming the first film to help consolidate the status of the genre in the overseas market. In 1988, he released the anime Akira, which he scripted and directed from his own original manga creation. In 1987, he scripted, designed the characters and directed The Order to Stop Construction in an omnibus edition of Labyrinth Tales. In addition to manga, Otomo began his career in anime when he worked on the character design for the cinematic version of Harmagedon. Otomo’s unique style has heavily influenced the world of comic books, and he has established a position as one of the leading figures in the world of Japanese manga. Akira, which was serialised in Young Magazine in 1982, became extremely popular and was awarded the eighth Kodansha Manga Prize in 1984.
In 1983, Domu, a Child’s Dream was awarded the fourth Japan Science Fiction Prize.
His popularity grew rapidly with his next projects: Fireball, Domu, a Child’s Dream, Kibun wa mo senso and other titles in Manga Action Deluxe. Born in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, in 1954, Otomo made his debut as a comic illustrator and writer in 1973 when A Gun Report (Mateo Falcone), was published in a special edition of Manga Action. With more than 180,000 drawing and 400 CG cuts, Steamboy is sure to be one of the most elaborate animated features of 2004.ĭirector Katsuhiro Otomo can name among his fans such acclaimed filmmakers as James Cameron and the Wachowski brothers. The lush Victorian interiors and the elegance of the era’s mechanical design allows Otomo to create dazzling visual backgrounds and machines for this film. This young boy must use it to fight evil, redeem his family, and save London from destruction. A retro science-fiction epic set in Victorian England, Steamboy features an inventor prodigy named Ray Steam who receives a mysterious metal ball containing a new form of energy capable of powering an entire nation.