Imagi Animation Studios announces that it has optioned rights from Tezuka Productions Company Limited of Japan to produce a new CG-animated feature-length motion picture based on the renowned anime franchise Astro Boy for theatrical release in 2009.

The new Astro Boy feature will be based on an original story developed by Imagi's US studio. Physical production will take place at Imagi's state of the art Hong Kong animation studio. Along with its current CG-animation productions Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Gatchaman, Imagi will continue its technical and creative leadership in bringing comic book heroes to the big screen.

The original Astro Boy story follows the adventures of a boy-sized robot named Atom. With the help of his friends, he battles enemies attacking the world and faces personal challenges in adapting to the human world. Created by the godfather of anime Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy first appeared as a manga comic series in 1952.

The original 1963 Japanese television series was among the first to embody aesthetics that later became known as anime. After enjoying success abroad, Astro Boy was remade in 1980 and again in 2003. In terms of recognition and popularity, Astro Boy is considered to be the Asian equivalent of Mickey Mouse.

"I grew up with Astro Boy as did so many of us at Imagi," said Francis Kao, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Imagi. "We now have an opportunity to bring our Astro Boy dreams to life by combining the power of high-end CG imagery and Imagi's creative collaboration with Tezuka."

"Imagi is a world class producer of CG feature animation and has a unique talent for bringing 2D comic characters to life in stunning 3D worlds," said Yoshihiro Shimizu, General Manager of Tezuka. "We are delighted to be working with them on Astro Boy."