Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis (2001 Movie) DVD

In the vast, tri-level city-state of Metropolis, humans occupy the gleaming upper levels while robots labor in the depths below, resented and discriminated against by the impoverished human underclass that blames them for its own poverty. Duke Red, the city's wealthiest and most powerful citizen, has constructed the Ziggurat — an immense tower of military and scientific purpose — and is preparing to unveil its ultimate function. His adopted son Rock leads the Marduks, a paramilitary unit tasked with destroying rogue robots, and harbors a deep, violent distrust of robot life. Into this city arrive Japanese detective Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew Kenichi, searching for the internationally wanted criminal Dr. Laughton. They find Laughton's laboratory — and emerge from the burning wreckage to encounter Tima: a girl who appears entirely human, who has no memory of what she is or where she came from, and whose existence is at the center of everything Duke Red has been building toward. Kenichi takes it upon himself to protect her. Rock wants her destroyed. And Tima — innocent, curious, learning what it means to exist — carries within her the key to a weapon that could end the world as Metropolis knows it.

Metropolis is a 2001 theatrical film directed by Rintaro — the director of the Galaxy Express 999 film, Harlock Saga, and X/1999 — written by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy), produced by Madhouse with conceptual support from Tezuka Productions, and loosely based on Osamu Tezuka's 1949 manga of the same name. The film had a production budget of ¥1.5 billion, making it the most expensive anime film ever produced at the time, surpassing Akira. It draws more directly on Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis than Tezuka's manga did — adding the class-struggle cityscape and visual design of Lang's work to Tezuka's story — while Rintaro and Otomo have both noted that Tezuka himself would likely never have permitted the adaptation. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "one of the best animated films I have ever seen." It was among the first anime films submitted for Academy Award consideration for Best Animated Film.

The North American DVD is a 2-disc set; Disc 2 is a 3.25-inch "Pocket DVD" (MiniDVD) containing production drawings, production stage comparisons, and a Tezuka biography. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999 film, Harlock Saga, X/1999, Dagger of Kamui)
Screenplay: Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy, Neo-Tokyo)
Original Manga: Osamu Tezuka (Metropolis, 1949; Astro Boy, Black Jack, Phoenix)
Studio: Madhouse / Tezuka Productions
Music: Toshiyuki Honda (New Orleans jazz score)
Featured Music: "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles (climax sequence)
Ending Theme: "There'll Never Be Good-Bye" by Minako "Mooki" Obata

Japanese Cast:
- Yuka Imoto as Tima
- Kei Kobayashi as Kenichi
- Kohki Okada as Rock
- Toshio Furukawa as Shunsaku Ban (Urusei Yatsura 2, DBZ, Sailor Moon)
- Norio Wakamoto as Duke Red (Gate Keepers, Slayers, Kishin Corps)
- Shigeru Chiba as additional cast (Gate Keepers, Naruto, Urusei Yatsura 2)
- Takeshi Aono as additional cast (Tenchi Universe, Slayers, DBZ, Green Legend Ran)
- Rica Matsumoto as additional cast (Pokémon, Sol Bianca: The Legacy)

English Dub Cast (ZRO Limit Productions — uncredited on DVD packaging):
- Scott Weinger as Kenichi
- Brianne Siddall as Tima (Arc the Lad, Tenchi Muyo! Mihoshi Special)
- Jamieson Price as Duke Red (Gundress)
- Michael Reisz as Rock
- Rebecca Forstadt as additional cast (Mahoromatic, Tenchi Forever, Love Hina)

DVD Features (2-Disc Set)

- Disc 1: Feature Film — English & Japanese Audio, Dolby 5.1
- Disc 2 (3.25" Pocket MiniDVD): Production Drawings, Two Scenes in Various Production Stages, Osamu Tezuka Biography
- Making-of Featurette (Director Rintaro, Screenwriter Otomo, Voice Actors, Composer Honda)
- Multi-Angle Animation Comparison
- TriStar / Destination Films Previews
- Note: Post-credits image (Kenichi & Tima Robot Company) present in theatrical and Blu-ray releases but absent from DVD version

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: メトロポリス (Metoroporisu)
Runtime: ~108 Minutes
Director: Rintaro
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release — TriStar Pictures / Destination Films / Sony Pictures); later reissued on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment (2018)
Original Release Date (Japan): May 26, 2001
Publisher: TriStar Pictures / Sony Pictures (original DVD); Mill Creek Entertainment (Blu-ray reissue)
Rating: PG-13 (MPAA — "violence and images of destruction")
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Most expensive anime film at time of production (¥1.5 billion). Roger Ebert 4/4 stars. English dub cast uncredited on DVD packaging. 2-disc set includes 3.25" Pocket MiniDVD with bonus content.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Cyberpunk
Themes: Human-Robot Coexistence, Class Struggle, Tezuka Legacy, Fritz Lang Homage, Ray Charles Climax

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.