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Info on the aborted colorization

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:35 am
by Executor
I recall there was an attempt to redub Astro Boy '63. I saw a promotional video for it, but quickly came across part of an unfinished episode.

Does anyone have any info on the episode? Was it originally dubbed into English back in the Sixties run or was it omitted? This isn't Tezuka's colorized version of "The Moon Monsters", mind you...

One minor note, redub Ochanimizu sounds a bit dopey to my ear.

Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 7:36 am
by Fauna
This dub seems to be all-new, and unfinished, given the absence of final sound effects or music. I really like Astro and Tawashi's voices, but Ochanomizu sounds like King Candy.

I did some research on the company in charge of the colourization, CST Entertainment. They were commissioned from 1987-1996 to colourize various vintage movies and TV shows, but filed for bankruptcy in 1997 and were later absorbed into another company. I believe they worked on this episode with plans to have it aired on Fox Kids in 1994 or 1995, but whatever company commissioned them couldn't get full English rights to use the anime and cancelled the project.

The music in the promo trailer is really nice! Judging by the clips used, they must have worked on at least 4-5 other episodes, at least in clips. This could have maybe turned out really well.

Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 8:43 am
by Dragonrider1227
Ugh, it's so saddening. What could've been D:
I didn't care so much for Astro Boy in the 90s so I wonder how I would've reacted to it then.

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 2:29 am
by jeffbert
:ninja: As I recall, Fred Ladd wrote about being involved in the colorization of Popeye cartoons. For that series, there was sufficient interest in introducing younger generations to it, but, with all the new standards, & such, I doubt much interest would exist for the 1963 AB. Recall, that CN showed in on ADULT SWIM because of the content of some episodes being inconsistent with those standards.

As for me, I think that if younger viewers refuse to watch B&W programs, that is their loss!

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 2:49 am
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Youtube presented me with an adult content warning for some of the 1963 Astro episodes posted there

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:57 pm
by jeffbert
Did any explanation come with the warning, Tetsuwan Penguin? Were those the English-dubbed episodes? I can almost understand why CN chose AS instead of the early evening times, as there is a lot of violence, & in 1 episode at least, an unflattering depiction of certain [ahem] races.

Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 1:23 am
by Tetsuwan Penguin
"jeffbert" wrote:Did any explanation come with the warning, Tetsuwan Penguin? Were those the English-dubbed episodes? I can almost understand why CN chose AS instead of the early evening times, as there is a lot of violence, & in 1 episode at least, an unflattering depiction of certain [ahem] races.


I never get that message from my home computer, that happened on the mobile site on a phone where I didn't have any cookies to my login on google. And all of the links to the ELV uploads from Manga did that. I noticed it on episode #1, the birth of Astro Boy btw.

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:31 pm
by jeffbert
:o hmy: I cannot think of anything that could possibly cause an adult content warning, unless the people who decided AB B&W #1 met such a standard based upon some strange criteria.