Steamboy

One area I have not yet touched on is Anime which, like just about everything else, has its own SteamPunk creations. The one I want to tell you about is by director Katsuhiro Otomo, who also directed Akira which is one of the most famous anime films ever made. Steamboy is a full length feature film that was co-written by Otomo as well.
Steamboy is set in the classic SteamPunk setting: 19th century London, and is centered around James Ray Steam. Ray is a 13-year-old boy living in Manchester, and is an inventor following the in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Edward and Lloyd Steam. In 1863 after a long and dangerous expedition they have discovered a pure mineral water source which they believe will be the ultimate source for steam powered engines. A horrible accident occurs during an experiment in Alaska and Edward is killed.
In 1866, in Manchester, Edward’s son Ray, the main character, works in a textile mill, lives with his mother, and tinkers around with inventions of his own. The arrival of a package from Ray’s grandfather containing a strange metallic ball sets the action of the film into motion. People come and try to steal the ball, and Ray ends up being kidnapped and taken to London. The entire film revolves around a large corporation, called the O’Hara Foundation, attempt to get the ball from Ray. The ball is the key to the perfect power source for the steam engine, and the corporation wants to use it to create weapons. Ray fights to keep the corporation form getting the ball.
This film is a wild ride from beginning to end, and if you are at all interested in anime, or animation in general I am sure you will enjoy it.