▪	RELEASED BY:		BANDAI VISUAL USA
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		JAPANESE DD 5.1 / 2.0 W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		40 + 27
		▪	RATING:		7UP
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		12/11/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		01/28/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

Based on the short manga and character designs of legendary Katsuhiro Otomo, the same man who brought viewers the shocking Akira and the stunning Steamboy, comes a whimsical adventure. Made into a short film, SOS! Metro Tokyo Explorers: The Next sees a small group of young children uncover a treasure map leading to a world below Tokyo. They embark on an unforgettable adventure in this short movie.

Ryuhei and his younger brother Sasuke have been sad since their mother left their father and them. While digging around the house, Ryuhei discovers a map telling of a treasure hidden beneath the city. He forms a team of explorers made up of him, his tagalong brother, the large but kind hearted and scaredy-cat Yoshio, camcorder holding Shun, and a bossy female final member (of sorts) named Momoyo. Together they’ll uncover a new world hidden beneath the city they know. They’ll make new friends, meet strange people, and discover a most unexpected type of treasure.

A whimsical adventure involving children, this is a charming short film. Katsuhiro Otomo did make some changes from the original 1980 manga. Rather than having it set then, the story is now set in the present. It also hosts some more action and an added character with the old Japanese soldier. Therefore SOS! Metro Tokyo Explorers is called The Next to inform those familiar with K. Oromo’s work that this has been updated from the original story and altered slightly to offer a rich straight up fanciful story of children exploring and bonding together through a shared day of discovery.

Sunrise Emotion Studio who brought us Steamboy now take another of Otomo’s masterpieces to the big screen and now for the first time is made available here on DVD. They used cutting edge 3D CG animation to upgrade the look and feel of the film while still holding on to the nostalgic appeal contained within the manga. The movie boasts a range of talented staff. The screenplay was done by Sadayuki Murai who worked on Steamboy and Mushishi (Katsuhiro Otomo is coincidentally working as director on the live-action version of Mushishi), animation direction was done by Hidekazu Ohara (Memories), it was directed by Shinji Takagi (Blood The Last Vampire), and character designs and animation direction was done by Hidekazu Ohara (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind as an animator and also worked on the award winning Memories).

The blend of these talents has created a movie that holds a sense of the long-honored Japanese cel animation while giving it something new through its rendering of the latest technology in 3D animation. This combination of old and new makes for a riveting visual experience. The scenes of the city are captivating with detail and realism while the underground adventure is delightfully atmospheric. The characters appear in look like 2D designs but given 3D life, having very realistic movements.

The score is equally beautiful, wonderfully fanciful for this fun and light hearted more down to Earth (in the earth) adventure. Speaking of content, there is nothing harsh in this film. There is some mild violence (someone shoots a gun during a fight but it is not brutal) and if recollection serves, an adult used a swear word once throughout the entire animation. What’s splendid about Explorers is that although it is fanciful, it is not completely out of the realm of believability. There could be people living in abandoned sections of the subway system underground, there could be wondrous things hidden beneath our feet. It is this appeal to the child in all of us that is Explorers biggest attraction.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features include a 10-page booklet with background information, character profiles, inside pointers, and interviews with Shinji Takagi (Director), Hidekazu Ohara (Character Design/Animation Director), and Katsuhiro Otomo (Original Story/Original Character Design). DVD bonus features include commentary by Shinji Takagi, Kokubo (CG Director) and T. Nakajima (Chief Animator); a making of featurette focusing on the 3D CG techniques used in the movie and features interviews with many of the main staff involved. There are also individual creator interviews with Katsuhiro Otomo, Shinji Takanagi, and Hidekazu Ohara; and trailer.

IN SUMMARY:
This is a short film that will appeal to the wonder and adventure held by the child within all of us.